Help/advice making pot pie ahead of time.

[legend_018]

Is there any reason why I can't make a few pot pies the day before and just heat up the day of? If not, I'd like to at least do some short cuts. This includes the pie dough as well. One pie is gravy based and the other pie is more like a cheese sauce filling if that makes sense. Just doesn't make sense to be trying to pull off making pie crusts and all the prep and work involved in making the pies never mind the fact that they will also need to be cooked in the oven once all assembled.

 

[Andy M.]

We make pot pies complete with crust and freeze them regularly.

You could make them up and cook them a day or two ahead and heat them up for service or make them up with the crust unbaked and cook them when ready.

 

[legend_018]

Great than I think I'll try to aim to make them tomorrow/tuesday and than I'll re-heat them on Wedneday before they get served.

 

[legend_018]

I have 2 pies cooking in the oven at 400 degrees.
If I take them out of the refrigerator a few hours before reheating - how long do you think I will need to re-heat them? There very FULL pot pies.

 

[Andy M.]

Be sure to cool them completely before you cover them for the fridge or moisture will condense on the underside of the covering and make the crust soggy.

Reheat at 350F to an internal temperature of 140F. They'll be piping hot.

 

[legend_018]

I'm having 2 really big problems.

#1 One of the pot pies - the gravy based one came apart in the oven. well some of the sides. I guess I overstuffed it and the gravy just started oozing and pouring out. Needless to say, I took it out of the oven 20 minutes early cause all the gravy that fell on the bottom burnt and started smelling and smoking up the kitchen. I'll just finish it during the reheat process tomorrow in hopes it won't continue to happen. I think part of it is I skimped on the dough part at the edges of the pie. The other pot pie is ok as it's a cheese sauce based filling.

#2 problem is I should of and KNEW IT - precooked the carrots. although there not quite done yet, the carrots of course are not 100% done. I did cut them very small. oh and the potatoes. also cut very small.

Now I have to clean the stove tonight.

This is so far a 2 day project. homemade gravy, homemade crusts, homemade everything.

 

[legend_018]

ok when I finish cooking the pies tomorrow - I'll put cookie sheets under them. I also had a LITTLe extra dough, so I redid some of the sides a wee little to help stop the flow. LOL. I heard juices flowing out of pot pies is a sign of a good pie. ; ).

I also have to make sure that I finish cooking/reheating long enuf to finish cooking the carrots and potatoes.

 

[Selkie]

ok when I finish cooking the pies tomorrow - I'll put cookie sheets under them...

I also line mine with aluminum foil so there's no cleanup even if they do continue to overflow. Just toss the foil. If the foil was unnecessary, fold it up and put it back into the drawer until it is needed for something else.

Did you cut slits into the top crust of your pot pies? You have to make a vent for any steam to escape or it will "make" a vent of its own, usually a weak seam at the edge and it blows out the liquid filling. That's how steam boilers blow up!

 

[joesfolk]

I hope that I am not being a killjoy here but in the past when I have made pot pies ahead of time I found that the gravy had all been soaked up by the other ingredients. Maybe I didn't use enough gravy to begin with. Hope yours turns out better than mine.

 

[legend_018]

That's the other thing I'm afraid about - I so hope the gravy and/or cheese sauce doesn't get all sucked up during the night into the other ingredients. I worked too hard on these pies.

I actually used a cookie cutter thing to cut out a hole in the top "halloween witch was one of them". Than I put it on the side of the pie.

yes, I did skimp on the sides with the dough and the gravy based pie was VERY full and did have a lot of gravy in it.

 

[legend_018]

Everything came out PERFECT. ONly problem was the gravy based one - when I too it out and after it cooled down for about 10 minutes, it was as if the gravy thinned out and came gushing out, instead of being thick and in with all the chicken and veggies. Hard to explain. I did make some extra gravy on the side in case it was dry, although it wasn't dry. It was as if the gravy was just too thin in the end

 

[Andy M.]

What did you use to thicken that gravy?

 

[legend_018]

What did you use to thicken that gravy?

Gravy was basically some fat drippings and butter melted. 6 tablespoons of flour added and whisked in. Than about 2.5 cups of real chicken broth. I made it both yesterday for the pie and today for extra gravy. I don't exactly remember how thick it was when I mixed it with the veggie/potatoes for the pie, but I do know the one I made this morning for extra gravy came out pretty thick.

I was also thinking maybe I didn't let that pie cool enough. This is the same pie I only cooked for 40 minutes last night because it ooozed so much and was burning up my stove.

The 2nd pie, I had no problems at all. It was a cheese based pie though. Same fillings, but instead of gravy it was a cheese sauce made with brie and heavy cream and than blended together with some parsnips, which were roasted in olive oil and cumin. It came out dynomite.

 

[legend_018]

Although the luncheon i had when I served the 2 pot pies was very successful - the left overs are very!!! dry. is that normal for left over pot pie?

 

[Andy M.]

It's not unusual. You can often recover by mixing in a little broth to moisten things up.