I want to bring 6 pies to work. Last month, I thought I found a solution - a 3-tiered plastic pie carrier. Now I can't find it online anywhere, though I could swear it was on Target.com. Anyone have any ideas? I live in NYC and don't have a car. I'm thinking I'll take a cab, but getting them in and out in one trip (stacked somehow) would be nice.
Note: I have found double pie carriers, but am looking for triple since I have 6 and only two hands.
I may not get a vote for this (hell, possibly a downvote), but....
Can't you just buy some bamboo steamer baskets from a chinese grocery and figure a way to stabilize them while they are stacked together? They are available in many sizes, and I am sure this little hack would work just fine.
Also, having checked google, there are very few inexpensive options.
PS I like your name, it's spelled the cool way, just like my wife.
This is probably more expensive than you want to go, but Peterboro Basket does a rather nice three tier pie carrier, recommended by NYC's own piemasters, Bubby's:
http://www.peterborobasket.com/p-950-peterboro-3-pie-solid-lid.aspx
If you're on a budget, perhaps try getting 6 regular pie/cake boxes and 'lashing' them together with string (2 stacks of 3), using the string to carry them.
Here's a stackable pie carrier that will carry up to four pies or 1 cake and 1 pie.
http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Keeper-Dual-Food-Tote/dp/B0039MDTDG/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_1
My husband made a "pie box" one weekend for me when I was going to a cottage for a girls weekend and the only access to it was by boat and I had 5 pies to bring, it is made of wood, but looks great and works wonderful!
Editor's note: the OP never returned; we think maybe something like this:
tldr: boxes from cake shops, then different ways (bags, straps, string) & considerations for carrying them (if all going to one place or multiple, if you're carrying other stuff, too)
...
Cake shops, if they sell supplies, will sell boxes of various sizes. Get 6 of them just large enough to fit your pies (meringue or other tall pies will need a taller box). Once the pies are in boxes things become much, much easier. You might have a gym bag that's large enough to fit them all laying flat. You might have some large grocery bags where they can safely fit flat for you.
If you can't find anything suitable, you can stack them up and tie them together. Make sure to leave enough string to tie loops at the top as carrying handles (and make sure they're well-tied). Things fare much better when held like a pendulum -- if they get bumped, they swing rather than smashing up against the box. I've also been known to put a square of anti-slip shelf liner under cake boards when transporting them, to lower the risk
Load the pies into the boxes, stack them up, and tie them together. Once it's tied well, use the excess string to tie loops for a handle at the top, and make sure it's tied well on both ends.
Depending on the weight of the pies, and what else you'll be carrying, you might want to tie them into one large stack, but when carrying things, I like two even stacks, so you're well balanced. (if you're carrying other stuff, the other stuff might balance against the one big stack).
The smaller stacks can also be useful if you're going to be dropping off things at two different locations.
If you're dropping each one off at a different location, then are much easier than tying. If you have to use string, you may want to bundle up a single box with carrying loops, then tie in the second box below it, and then a third box. You might also be able to use a yoga strap or something similar to attach the lower boxes to the top that you can re-adjust without too much difficulty. (It might also be able to tie a loop in it, but it depends on the length of the straps that you have available).
If you're going to be doing this a lot, I'd recommend looking at grocery stores that have the re-usable bags and if they have large enough ones, get one or two. (IKEA has huge bags for under $1. BJs also has some larger bags (not as large as the IKEA ones. I suspect other warehouse type stores would have some, too).
If you're going to be carrying larger things, and don't have an IKEA nearby, you might want to consider something like the Velcro All-Purpose Strap with Handle, which lets you cinch the strap around something to be carried, and then has a built in handle. (they used to have padded handles, but it doesn't look like it from that picture ... I guess it might've been a different brand). They do have a minimum size that they can go down to, though. (a little more than 1/2 the maximum size. At 1/2 maximum size, only 1/2 of the velcro is making contact).
