Watery Rhubarb Pie

No, you don't dry out your rhubarb. If you are finding it too runny, then I would use cornstarch rather than flour. It has more thickening power. I would sprinkle some on the bottom of the pie shell before filling. Or you could add some tapioca when you toss the fruit with the sugar. Young rhubarb has more water than older, summer rhubarb, also.

I use Minute Instant Tapioca to thicken mine. The portions are are on the side of the box. It is still going to be a bit juicy, that is the nature of the vegetable.

I totally agree with the above suggestions about using Minute tapioca to thicken instead of flour or cornstarch. I believe you will even find the right proportions to use on the tapioca box.

Tapioca is great thickener for other pies as well. I also use it for apple, blackberry, and blueberry.

i agree that tapioca is better for thickening fruit pies (except apple or pear) than flour. I use tapioca flour that I get at an asian store.

Also, with strawberry rhubarb pie, i find that if i dont let the pie cool completely before cutting it, it tends to be runny. I think the rhubarb and strawberry juice thickens more than most pie juices as it cools.

Rhubarb is inherently liquid once it's cooked. I'd never even dream of making a pie with it.

My mother in law, makes a Creamed Rhubarb Pie that is terrific. It will make non-rhubarb pie lovers a believer.

One other idea I've used when I don't have tapioca. You can make a rhubarb crisp. Those are always nice and juicy, and it goes especially nice over vanilla ice cream!

I'm surprised that no one is suggesting that the strawberries might be the issue. Anyway, count me among those who prefer straight rhubarb pie.

I've noticed that the wateriness does vary from case to case, but I'm not sure it's relative to the season. My Spring pie this year was not watery--I used only some flour as thickener; I also use some dabs of butter--but I did have the cut rhubarb in the fridge for a couple of days, even though it was from my backyard.

Extra thickening strategies might work, but I prefer just to live with some occasional wateriness. By the way, any leftover pie can be left in the fridge if need be, and it sets up fine there.

It's an old post but it still appears to be at the top of google search so people are still looking at it.

It doesn't matter what time of year you harvest your rhubarb, or from what country the rhubarb originates or what variety it is - it will make not one jot difference to a wet or dry filling.

The longer you cook rhubarb the more it will break down and the more juice will come out of it. If your pie is wet then your rhubarb is cooked to death. Noticed how all the rhubarb has shrunk to next to nothing? So, it's more important what temp your oven is at when you put your pie in. You want the pastry cooking through and you want the rhubarb cooked BUT NOT TOO MUCH. The best thing is to put the pie in a 200c oven for about 40 minutes. That will cook the pastry and should also cook the rhubarb without overcooking it and should leave the rhubarb with an ever so slight bite. The length of time will also be affected by the size of the chunks. If you aren't sure if the rhubarb is done then get a bamboo skewer and blunt the end of it and put it in the pie's vent hole. Any resistance and try 5 more minutes.

I also heavily dust the bottom of the pie case with flour before the rhubarb goes in just in case I leave in in too long. That will also make sure that if there is rhubarb gravy, then it will thcken on cooling.

Not all rhubarb is alike. The old standard variety that I know was Victoria. It is more acidic than modern varieties and has stems that are an ugly dirty green and they cook up that way too. EEK! S the red stemmed varieties were developed.
I bet the rhubarb the subject of the complaint was a modern variety that had bright red stems. These varieties in my opinion are a lot wimpier and more turgid.

Also depends on how dry the ground is before picking. Rhubarb is built that way for a reason - to take up water.

I only use flour. I don't use strawberries. Depending on the rhubarb itself, it can be more or less runny. I just roll with the runny-level rather than work to set it up with tapioca or the like. That runny stuff is good to ladle over the pie, with or without ice cream atop.

I note that the remaining pie thickens nicely in the fridge over night, although I still try to bring slices to room temperature before serving.

This discussion has been extremely helpful to me. Last post was August 2015, but that's ok! Now that summer is coming again, I'm sure there will be more rhubarb endeavors. I like the suggestions to use a dusting of flour on the inside bottom pie shell, and not to overcook, as the rhubarb will continue to break down and "liquefy." Also good to realize that it's just a fairly runny pie! And finally - I did notice that after full cooling, the runny-ness seemed to stop. I think by tomorrow, it will have set up fine.

I have my Grandmother's cookbook circa 1940, and the directions say to use cornstarch and put all the ingredients in a pot and cook it until the cornstarch thickens and is semi clear. I usually put the rubbarb and or strawberries in the same pot. I have made her pie without fail, for years. She always made one crust pie and made a simple oat crumble on top, really good with fresh whip cream