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By Katelyn Krosky

Whether it be pumpkin, pecan or apple, pies are certainly a popular Thanksgiving dessert. As the holiday approaches, FACS teachers Margaret Dieckhoff and Lauren Stringer sampled and guessed the brand of three different pies using their culinary knowledge: frozen pecan pie, generic pumpkin pie and bakery-made pumpkin pie.

The first pie they sampled was a frozen Edward’s pecan pie, located in the frozen aisle of any grocery store. Stringer liked this pie because of its sweetness and buttery crust. 

“It’s cold,” Stringer said, “I do like that. My biggest complaint about pecan pie is that it’s normally warm.”

Dieckhoff also enjoyed this pie, and gave her guess for the brand. 

“I think that this one’s frozen,” Dieckhoff said, “And I’m going to guess [the brand] is Marie Callender’s.”

When asked to rate the pie out of five, they both scored it a five. 

Moving on to the second pie in the lineup, Dieckhoff and Stringer were excited. This pie was a generic brand, Jessie’s pumpkin pie, from Price Chopper. After taking a bite, they decided that this pie was missing some traditional aspects of a pumpkin pie. 

“It’s not super sweet, and I love a sweet pie,” Stringer said. 

 Dieckhoff mentioned the pie was dense, not flaky, and seemed to be missing its seasoning. This generic pumpkin pie received a one from Dieckhoff and a three from Stringer. 

Lastly, the pair tasted a Tippin’s pumpkin pie, also from Price Chopper. They noticed that this pie had a better appearance than the last. 

“[It] already looks better,” Stringer said, “This looks like someone who grew up in a country town made this pie.” 

Dieckhoff noticed that this pie had all the correct spices, unlike the last pie, but it still seemed to be missing something. Because of that, she believed it to be another frozen pie. 

“I’m going to say [a brand] like Sara Lee or another name brand, still in the frozen section,” Dieckhoff said. 

This pie received a rating of two from both teachers, due to the fact that it was missing some flavor. 

Reflecting on the pie-tasting, the teachers shared their pie preferences. When it comes to making pies at home, Dieckhoff tends to favor fruit pies, such as apple, strawberry, and coconut cream. When she makes apple pies, she adds a unique topping of caramel dip sauce. 

Stringer on the other hand, does not make pies as frequently, but likes the way her sister makes pumpkin pie. 

“My sister makes a pie and she puts allspice in it,” Stringer said. “She likes to call it her secret ingredient, but it’s not a secret.”

Overall, the pair decided that the best of the three Thanksgiving pies was the pecan pie. Stringer especially was impressed by the frozen dessert. 

“[I liked] pecan because Edward is now my best friend,” Stringer said, “I like the pecans, so I really liked that as a little [topping].”

Dieckhoff chose the pecan pie for similar reasons.

“It tasted closest to what I like,” Dieckhoff said, “The two pumpkin [pies] though, they tasted good but they didn’t taste like pumpkin pie.”