Ina Garten's Top Tip For Preventing Her Frozen Key Lime Pie Crust From Sticking To The Pan

There's nothing that says summer quite like a tangy, sweet-and-sour bite of key lime pie — cradled by a deliciously buttery graham cracker crust and a dollop of light and airy whipped cream. One of the most common problems that home chefs run into when making key lime pie (and other pies, for that matter): The crust often sticks to the pie pan, leaving the painstakingly made, hand-crushed graham cracker crumb flavor behind. Thankfully, there are methods to help make it more likely that each slice of your pie will have an intact crust. Recently, chef and Food Network personality Ina Garten shared her go-to method for ensuring that the crust of your key lime pie easily leaves the pie pan, making it easier for you to get the perfect bite.

On the "Ask Ina" section of her website, a fan praised the Barefoot Contessa's key lime pie recipe, but said that she struggled to get the graham cracker crust to fully release from the pan. Garten said that she had experienced the same issue, and found that being careful not to over-compress the pie crust and allowing it to thaw out for a bit before serving seemed to fix the problem. If you still find that your pie crust is sticking to the pan despite following Garten's tips, you've got options. Before you start packing your pie crust, you can lightly spray the pie pan with a bit of vegetable or olive oil, or even use a butter wrapper to lightly grease the pie pan. How easy is that?

Graham cracker crust is sweet and crunchy, and creates the perfect textural contrast to the smooth fillings of key lime, pumpkin, and lemon meringue pies. It's tough to go wrong when creating a graham cracker crust, but following a few tips and tricks can make a big difference in your final product. If you're creating a pie that requires baking, it's smart to pre-bake your pie crust, as this can help the crust become cohesive, making it less likely to crumble as you slice and serve your pie. 

Another way to add a bit of extra structure to your pie crust: try adding an egg yolk. You won't notice the gluey consistency in your final product, but you'll have an easier time getting your graham cracker crust to stick together as you press it into the pan, making it easier to follow Ina Garten's advice to stay away from over-compression. To elevate the flavor of your pie crust, you can also mix in some extra components alongside your graham crackers. Adding a bit of brown sugar can add depth, while including some crushed Girl Scout cookies in your pie crust can add interesting flavors while keeping the consistency similar to that of straight-up graham cracker crumbs.