Nov 29, 2010
To avoid wateriness in an old-fashioned apple pie you need to do two things: Use Cortland or other cooking apples (never use Macintosh!) and add 2 tablespoons of uncooked tapioca right out of the box (more for a 10" pie). Spread the first tablespoon over the bottom of the pie crust before you add any apples, then sprinkle the remaining tablespoon throughout the pie. The tapioca helps absorb the moisture resulting in a perfect pie--don't worry, you can't taste it! :) You may need to experiment and adjust the amount of tapioca to suit your individual preferences. This trick was passed down to me by my father whose Swedish grandmother taught it to him as a child... she made the best pies! Another tip from Nana: Don't just dump the apples into the pie crust, place them individually in concentric rings. This takes a LOT longer but your pie will not sink at all--you can have a true "mile high apple pie" and you don't pour in the "sugar soup" at the bottom of the mixing bowl that can also contribute to wateriness. I like my pies a little moist, so I do pour a little of the sugar mixture in, but not all of it. Also, if you're storing your apples in lemon water to prevent browning between peeling and putting them in the crust, make sure you give them time to drain and shake the colander well to get rid of all the extra water.
—eqstokes
