I was doing some research on pies the other day (what’s the holiday season without ‘em?) and ran onto Bakepdia’s (www.bakepedia.com) fun article about pie birds. Before going on, maybe I should address the question, “What the heck is a pie bird?”

Logical question. A pie bird is a tool, usually made of ceramic and shaped like a bird, which aids in venting steam from your double-crusted pie. It effectively prevents boil-overs from juicy fillings and helps you attain a nice, crisp crust.

They are also sometimes referred to as pie vents, pie chimneys, pie whistles and pie funnels. And they come in all sorts of shapes and themes. Whether bird-shaped or not, though, they are usually tall, narrow and always hollow (the steam flows up and out through the hollow center). Ceramic versions are classic, but they come in silicone now, as well.

Now… the question of how to use a pie bird. I’ll borrow from Bakepedia’s creator, Dede Wilson (who used to be one of Bon Appetit’s editors) for the directions: “Line the bottom of your pie plate with your bottom crust, place the pie bird in the center of the crust and pour your filling into the crust and around the pie bird.

“When rolling out your top crust, cut a small slit in the center, then carefully place the top crust over the pie bird and on top of the filling. Use whatever technique is easiest for you: pick up the crust using fingers and palms, drape it over a rolling pin and use the pin to help transfer the crust, or roll it up with a rolling pin and unroll on top – your choice. Ease the pie bird up through the slit; it should fit snugly. (We think the ceramic birds are better, especially when you get to this step.) Crimp crust edges as desired and bake with the bird in place. Remove the bird after you have cut your first wedge of pie.”

Do you need a pie bird to turn out an exceptional pie? No, of course not. Folks have been baking pies without them forever. But I have to say that my informal pie-making tests (making two pies side-by-side, one with and one without a pie bird), resulted in an extra crispy pie that was baked with the bird. The non-birded pie was fine, but the pie that was baked with the bird was just better!

And here’s the cool part, they’re affordable. And they’re unique; I think they’d make nice hostess gifts. They’re cute, too; you might even want to display it. Finally, they’re easy to find—eBay, Etsy, and so on. Whether vintage or otherwise, you can find them often for less than $10. (For instance, you’ll find a 4-inch bird on www.isabellacatalog.com for $7.95.)

I’ll close with a slight departure from the pie bird theme, but still stick to pies. How about some ways to add extra flavor and spizazz to that store-bought canned pie filling? Consider these ideas:

• Put lemon or lime zest and even mint in blueberry pie.

• A smidge of ginger or rosemary are also great with blueberry filling.

• Add a dash of almond extract to your cherry pie filling.

• Put orange and lime zest in cherry pie as well.

• With peaches, a pinch of nutmeg is traditional and delicious, but a tiny bit of allspice is even better.

• And have you tried a pinch of dried basil with strawberries? Wonderful!

I lied…one more thought on pie birds: How about collecting enough so you can use them in individual little pies, as the photo shows? Cute, huh?