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I have a recipe for a game pie, circa. 1973.

It calls for a "deep pie dish". Searching online for one to buy, I find deep pie dishes with different depths, and breadths.

Typical pie dishes seem to be about 26cm diameter and a depth of 5cm. Others look deeper and narrower. But I'd prefer to start with tradition.

The recipe, btw, has 1.5 lbs of venison, 1/2 lb mushrooms and 2 oz pickled pork.

markling
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1 Answers1

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There doesn't seem to a standard for pie dish sizes. I'm betting they haven't changed much in size since 1973, or since 1900 for that matter. If you look at modern deep pie dishes, they seem to mostly be in the range of 4 to 6 cm deep. For the ingredients you mentioned, a 26 cm diameter by 5 cm deep pie dish should work.

Wolfram Alpha estimates that your mushrooms will take up 560 cm^3. They'll shrink a lot if you cook them first, but we'll go with 560 for now. I couldn't find a density for venison, but it's not that much denser than water. 1.5 lbs. of water takes up 680 cm^3. The pickled pork may add another 60 cm^3. Add those together and you get 1300 cm^3. The ingredients may not be packed with 100% density, so let's bump the volume up by a liberal 50% to 1950 cm^3.

I'll estimate the volume of the pie dish as if it were a cylinder, which should be close enough. A 26 cm diameter cylinder with a height of 5 cm has a volume of 2655 cm^3, which gives you plenty of room.

mrog
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  • This surely is one of the internet's greatest moments. As important a topic as a pie could not have done with less assurance, of course, as you would expect if the A-Team were called in on the job, which clearly they were. – markling Oct 28 '15 at 15:44
  • Emergency purchase options were limited, but a 26"x6.5" dish had ample room left - and that's even after you consider the dish maker's measurements, which counted from the outside edge. The actual pie area was only about 24x6. There was room to spare. – markling Oct 28 '15 at 15:56
  • @markling, I'm glad it worked out. Was the pie good? – mrog Oct 28 '15 at 21:35
  • ya: 1.51b venison:cube+marinade 8hrs: 8fl.ozRedVin,2.5fl.ozOliveOil,1xfinelychoped(Onion,Celery),7xcrushed(CorianderSeeds,Allspice/Juniper),2x(BayLeaves,ParselySprigs),pinchMarjarom//pre-cook filling:i[dice+fry 2ozPickledPork:melt fat]ii[+cook 3mins: 0.5lbMushroom+Butter(unknown quantity)+Flour(toabsorb fat)]iii[+slowly blend MarinadeLiquid/+Venison/bring2boil/+Water if need+Season]iv[cover+cook 1.5hrs]/coolVenison/makePastry: sift(0.5lbFlour,0.5tspSalt)+rub(4ozButter,1.5ozLard)+blend(2x(Yolks,tbspnWater))/knead/cool 1hr/deep pie dish(+PastryFunnel)+filling+Pastry/bake(425oF:20mins+375:30mins) – markling Nov 04 '15 at 21:42
  • Pastry instructions edifying: roll to 1/4inch, cut 1/2inch strip and "place on moistened rim of pie dish", brush with water and cover filling with rest of pastry, then seal, trim, "knock up", and scallop the edges, brush with beaten egg, decorate with leaves cut from pastry and brush again, and "make a few slits in the pastry for the steam to escape". All c/o The Reader's Digest The Cookery Year (London,1987/1973). – markling Nov 04 '15 at 21:51