The Genius Way Butter Can Make Serving Your Next Pie Easier

There's something so picturesque about baking a homemade pie, or even buying a store-bought one, and slicing into it at home with a cozy living space in the background. The smell of a delicious apple pie, or a slightly tart blueberry pie with a flaky crust. Yum. But when it comes to serving your pie, you inevitably end up losing some of the creation when you cut into it and the crust crumbles off, or the filling pours out and a complete mess is made in an instant. There goes your cozy and comfy vision. There is a simple trick, though, to keeping your picturesque scene intact while cutting a deliciously beautiful slice of pie.

Simply spreading some butter on your knife first is such a simple, yet incredibly effective trick. To get the perfect slice of pie, spread a thin layer of butter on your knife before you slice into your dessert and voilà. Since butter is a fat, it acts as both a natural lubricant and a barrier that easily slices into the crunchy crust of your pie without sticking to or breaking the exterior. It creates a slippery surface that helps the knife glide directly into the filling. 

You'll find that this trick is especially handy when it comes to pies with a stickier filling, like fruit, custard, or the infamous soggy bottom shoofly pie. It's also helpful for pies that have a flakier crust like a traditional apple pie or a maple-bourbon sweet potato pie. Essentially, it works much like greasing a baking pan before adding the ingredients, keeping the pie from sticking to the knife so you get clean, complete slices when cutting into a perfectly fresh pie.

You can't really go wrong when choosing between all the different kinds of butter, as all of them will provide a clean slice. However, there are a few options that can make this trick work even better. Softened butter is the easiest to spread, as it is easily manageable to add a thin coating on your knife's blade. On the other hand, if you're using chilled butter, try warming the knife with hot water first, so it can be more easily applied to it.

When you're faced with the salted versus unsalted butter dilemma, it really is up to you. To put it plainly, if you're worried about adding extra salt to your dessert, go with unsalted. The very thin layer of butter that you're going to use on the knife is almost too small to notice any real differences to the taste, though, so you should be fine either way.

To help with cutting your pie and the new butter tip, use a high quality, sharp knife. For pies with a crunchier, firmer crust, reach for a serrated knife to keep from crushing the exterior. If you have a pie with a thicker, stickier filling, use a sharp, thin paring knife to get a smooth cut straight into it. Regardless, always wipe your knife down after each cut, to get rid of any lingering crumbs or filling, and to reduce stickiness for your next delicious slice.