UPDATE: Virtual taste test.. who makes the best frozen pie?

[american_mama]

UPDATE: I took the opportunity for a taste test very seriously, and have tried all these pies since Thanksgiving.

Mrs. Smith's Pumpkin Pie, Hearty Spiced: VERY heartily spiced. Nobody liked it much, but we ate it.

Mres. Smith's Pumpkin Pie, Mild and Creamy: A litte bland and had a rawish vegetable taste to it. Better the second day. 2 out of 6 people in my family preferred it to the Mrs. Smith Special Recipe.

Mrs. Smith's Pumpkin Pie, Special Recipe from Amanda Smith's Collection: So-so. A little sweeter and a tiny bit more spice than above. Bigger and a little more expensive than above. Also had a rawish vegetable taste to it. Better the second day. 4 out of 6 people preferred it to the Mild and Creamy pie, but none of us really liked it as much as we remembered liking Mrs. Smith pies.

Mrs. Smith's Sweet Potato Pie: Good. Sweet, light, egg custard-y tasting. Really good tender crust (the pumpkin pies had bad crusts for some reason).

So, there you go. For Thanksigiving 2006, I will be all over the Marie Calender's pies!


This is absolutely trivial, but hey, Christmas is just around the corner and we're likely to be re-visiting the pie question then. I figure plenty of us ate frozen apple and pumpkin yesterday, so post your review.

My, that sounds so lame.

Me: Marie Callender's Dutch Apple Pie with crumb topping. Great crust and great topping, but WAY too much cinnamon. Pretty sweet, but that's OK with me. I woulnd't buy it again.

[neeter]

This is a great idea - I will be staying tuned for the results!! We got two kinds of Mrs. Smith apple pies (they were on sale at Giant for $1.59!!) but didn't break them out yet. I'll post once we eventually get to them!

[ILoveLT]

I have had Mrs. Smith's apple pies and they are pretty good.

[kelly ann]

Good question...

I have always wondered about Edwards (sp?) pies...anybody ever try those?

[american_mama]

I got the single size servings of Edward's pies once, which is a good way to test. I think I got key lime, which I didn't like, and maybe pecan, which I probably also didn't like. The packaging is good, which is what caught my eye, but my main memory is that the reality didn't live up to the packaging.

What can I say: I really like sweets and I really like taste tests. I remember many occasions when as a family we would conduct true blind taste tests, complete with scoring cards.

[miki]

I've tried the key lime and something like Oreo. Liked them both enough that if I had gotten the full pie instead of the single serving, the pie would not have lasted long.

[bostonsmama]

We always get Mrs. Smith's pies each year...have been for many years and they have the culinary and chef's taste awards to prove it. We're in love with their Hearty Spiced Pumpkin, Deep Dish Apple (wasn't too impressed w/ the dutch apple crumb-topped pie), Cherry and Pumpkin Custard. We also got an Edwards Pecan Pie (which was very good...but I'm not an expert on Pecan Pie). My all-time favorite pies are Edwards' Keylime Pie and the Mississippi Mud Pie...all of which are heart-attack on a plate, but not very holiday-ish.

Larissa
**Holidays and Pumpkin Pie, Oh My!**

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." -James Baldwin

[s7714]

Mrs. Smiths Dutch Apple Pie (w/crumb topping) is in my fridge right now. My review would be that it's rather bland. The apples and filling have virtually no flavor or spices. Seems that they put more emphasis on the crust/topping than the filling. I've had the Mrs. Smiths regular apple pies before and they weren't too bad, but this dutch apple one is on my never-buy-again list.

Great thread! I always stand there in the freezer section wondering which pies are any good!

Jennifer
Mommy to
Annalia 3/03
Sophia 6/05

When raising kids the days are oh so long, but the years are short.--John Leguizamo

[eb1]

Ditto on the Edwards Key Lime...we've bought the individual slices a few times and liked it very much.

[cmdunn1972]

My FIL has a strong preference for Marie Callender's Blueberry pie. It seems he bakes one every other day or so. It's the only dessert he ever eats!

[american_mama]

bumping a year later

It's post-Thanskgiving 2006 and there are more pies to add to the list. Put yours in too!

Mrs. Smith's Pumpkin Pie, Mild and Creamy: Same opinion as last year. A little bland and raw tasting. I am pretty sure the canned pie filling and a frozen crust would taste better and be almost as easy.

Mrs. Smith's Deep Dish Apple Pie: Good. Very good crust, nice balance of cinnamon and apple flavors.

Entenmann's Sweet Potato Pie (not a frozen pie): Not so great. Heavy, dense, no special flavor. Bad crust, not at all flaky.

Also I would like to amend an earlier posting in this thread say that Edward's Key Lime Pie is awesome. Tangy, sweet, creamy, nice crust. Excellent.

[randomkid]

I have to agree with your original post that Mrs. Smith's Hearty Pumpkin Pie is too heavily spiced. My stepdaughter liked it, but everyone else said it was just ok. I did get a Mrs. Smith's Pecan Pie and that was pretty good, but a little thick and too sweet. I can't believe I forgot all about Marie Callender's pies.

My Mom and SIL usually make homemade pies which is why I didn't think of Marie Callender's. This year, my parents' kitchen is being remodeled and my brother was just diagnosed as diabetic, so the two pie cooks didn't bake this year (except for the yummy apple pie my Mom made). We had frozen this year. I'll have to keep Marie Callender's in mind for Christmas.

Thanks for reviving this post!

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

I didn't even think of marie callenders. I just grabbed the mrs. smiths b/c smiths makes mince pie which my father and dh and i enjoy. Does anyone besides mrs. smiths make mince? we usually have it for christmas too. We made a mrs. smiths sweet potato but everyone thought it was another pumpkin so noone cut into it.


jen

[randomkid]

According to their website, Marie Callender's makes mince pies seasonally. I think this would be the season so check your stores!

[madelinesmom]

The Edwards Oreo is one of the best pies on Earth... It really tastes just like an Oreo... Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jane
http://b4.lilypie.com/l3-em6/.png
http://b1.lilypie.com/-FG1m6/.png