Air Fryers Revolutionize Pie Baking with Energy Efficiency and Speed

Apple desserts like pies and crumbles remain popular for their comforting textures and flavors, with various innovative and traditional preparation methods highlighted by chefs and baking experts. Air fryers offer a quicker, energy-efficient way to bake pies, particularly personal-sized ones, while retaining a crispy crust, although larger pies might not fit in standard air fryer baskets. Gordon Ramsay's unconventional apple pie replaces the usual flaky pie crust with a tart crust made from softened butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, resulting in a sweet, crumbly texture but is less suited for intricate designs. Mary Berry's classic apple crumble, praised for its simplicity and deliciousness, uses just six ingredients and features a buttery, crumbly topping paired with tangy cooked apples, making it a highly rated and crowd-pleasing dessert. For the best apple pie results, pastry chef Erin Eberlein-Sage recommends baking pies from frozen to achieve a fully baked, crisp crust and bubbly filling, emphasizing that this method is best suited for double-crust pies and requires pre-cooking the apple filling to avoid sogginess. These diverse approaches showcase the variety of techniques and flavors that can elevate classic apple desserts.