In a hurry to get your pie made? Then a frozen crust could be your best GO-TO. But that said, there are frozen crusts, and there are frozen crusts, and not all are created equal.

So what’s the best choice? I turned to www.seriouseats.com for the answer. Their professional chefs and testing experts know their stuff, and this frozen pie crust question is one of their favorite research topics. (Heck, who wouldn’t want to mess around with pie, anyway?)

Their closing line to their article on this topic said, “After tasting our way through nine frozen pie crusts, we crowned an overall winner we’d be happy to invite to our own Thanksgiving celebrations.” Read on to find out which crust won this accolade.

Serious Eats researchers had some strong opinions on the subject: “Pie crust should be crisp and flaky, with a pleasant buttery flavor. It should have a slight hint of salt but not be overly salty, nor should it be overly sweet. It should be just tender enough to give way when bitten into, but not so soft that it crumbles at the slightest touch. The best pie crusts should also be sturdy enough to withstand the weight and moisture of any pie filling, be it custard, fruit, or syrupy nuts. In an ideal world, pie crust should be so delicious that you’d want to nibble away at the edges of the pie when you think nobody is looking.” Tough expectations, wouldn’t you say?

We’ll start with the runners up. First in was Wholly Wholesome Organic Traditional 9” Pie Shells. Like their overall winner, this crust held up nicely the next day, and though slightly softened, still maintained its shape and bite. Because this is a pre-shaped pie shell, there’s zero crimping or shaping involved, making it a convenient option to reach for if you’re in a pinch but still want a flaky, tasty dough. This crust runs $8 on amazon.com. [Me: I dunno, do we really want to spend that much on two pie shells—flaky and tasty, or not?]

The next runner up was a little more affordable and still delicious—the Boston Baking Homestyle 9-Inch Pie Shells. With just five ingredients, this shells (along with Wholly Wholesome’s pie shells) had the shortest ingredient list of all the doughs they sampled (just flour, butter, water, sugar, and salt). Though this pie crust was slightly softer the next day, it still held up reasonably well. You’ll find it a Wholefoods Market, two shells for $5. [Me once more: Again, I dunno; while this choice is better, is this actually affordable?]

And now for your dining delight is Serious Eats overall winner, the frozen pie crust that met their stringent requirements. Drumroll please…Trader Joe’s Pie Crusts. Testers enjoyed both its flavor and texture saying, “It was mild and buttery with just the right balance of salt.” They said the crust was flaky and had good structural integrity; one of their tasters called it a ‘workhorse crust.’ It also held up well the next day, making it a good pre-rolled dough to reach for if you plan on traveling with your pie or preparing it a day in advance.

Their final thought: “At just $4.49 for two shells, this crust is both delicious and affordable, and one we'd gladly use for our own pies.” [Me one more time: That’s $2.25 for a single crust. Do people really spend this kind of money when making pie?]

[Me one last time: OK, but I still can’t wrap my mind around these costs being “affordable” for two pie crusts! I’d like to know what you think? Am I naïve and need to get out more—ARE these prices affordable for pie crust? I dunno, maybe it would be if I was in a screamin’ hurry to get my pie made. Your thoughts?]