I tried 3 different store-bought pie crusts. One had the best flavor but another looked nicest and was easiest to use.

I chose three similar crust products from the freezer section. Each came in an oven-safe disposable pan, and I used the same premade pie filling for all three.

The crusts had pretty similar prep instructions, so I thawed each for 20 minutes and baked my pies at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes.

None of the instructions called for blind baking (baking the crust before adding filling), so I didn’t do so.

I bought the Pillsbury pie crust on sale for $3.50, although it usually costs $4.49 at my local grocery store.

The other two brands instructed me to remove one pie crust and let it thaw on wax paper before adding it over the base crust for fruit-filling pies — Pillsbury did not.

Instead, I had to cut the crimped edges off of one crust, immediately place it over the filled base crust, then let it thaw.

Even before thawing, this crust felt very pliable and easy to shape.

I didn’t do anything fancy with my crust, but the dough was so soft I felt like I could’ve easily cut it and used strips to create a basket-weave design.

My pie looked almost perfect when I removed it from the oven with just a few super-small cracks.

The Pillsbury crust was noticeably thin, but it held its shape fairly well when I cut a slice and put it on my plate. It held together better than the other two crusts I tried.

This crust was slightly buttery, very flaky, and not dry at all.

The store-brand Giant Eagle pie crust was the least expensive at just $2.49.

I liked the edges of this crust, which looked neater than the ones on Pillsbury’s. Unfortunately, I had to cover them because my pie needed a top.

It took a lot of work to get the second piece of dough to sit on top of my pie.

This crust felt so dry that, even after thawing, I couldn’t get the top portion to lie flat and neatly over the base.

It kept ripping apart and I eventually used a rolling pin to get the pieces to stick back together.

My pie had a few cracks on top and this crust didn’t quite hold together as well as the one from Pillsbury.

Of the three crusts I tried, I found this one to be the driest and least flavorful. Unfortunately, the berry filling also leaked through the bottom crust, leaving my pie fairly soggy underneath.

The Marie Callender’s crust was the most expensive at $5.69, so I had high expectations.

The edges looked very neat, so I was once again sad I had to cover them with a top crust.

As with the Giant Eagle dough, the Marie Callender’s crust was also difficult to work with.

The crust fell apart as I tried to secure it to my base. With my fingers, a fork, and patience, I was able to cobble it together before getting the pie into the oven.

Once this pie came out of the oven, the top had quite a few cracks.

When I grabbed a slice, the crust completely fell apart onto my plate. It hadn’t held up nearly as well as the other two pies.

But what the pie lacked in presentation, it made up for in flavor. The nice, thick crust was buttery and flaky.

I’d buy Marie Callender’s crust again, especially for a one-crust pie. Although it was the most expensive and the dough was tough to work with, I thought it had the best texture and flavor.

For future double-crust pies, I’d choose Pillsbury. The dough was so easy to maneuver, and the resulting crust had good flavor.

However, for all three brands, I’d ignore some of the package directions and blind bake the crusts to create a more stable base.

If I were serving these to a group, I’d also add egg wash and sugar to the top crust before baking so it could easily become sparkly and golden.