The Marie Callender's Pie Mistake Too Many People Don't Know They're Making

If you want to savor every last slice of a Marie Callender's pie, you may want to avoid a common storage mistake that can cause it to go bad. Whether your pie is thaw-and-serve (like the Marie Callender's Cream Pie we think is hands-down the best) or heat-and-serve, once the pie is no longer frozen you'll need to refrigerate the leftovers rather than refreeze them.

While it's perfectly fine to freeze slices of freshly baked or prepared pies, like Costco's bakery apple pie, Marie Callender's pies have already been frozen once after baking; freezing and thawing them a second time will negatively affect the pie's quality. As the pie freezes, ice crystals form, and repeated freezing and thawing can cause textural changes. This can leave the crust less crisp and flaky, while fillings (especially dairy-heavy fillings like in Marie Callender's cream pies) can become watery, gritty, or separated. Repeated thawing can also cause moisture and flavor to be lost.

Food safety is another concern. Refreezing a thawed pie does not itself cause harmful bacteria to form, but if it's left unrefrigerated for long periods and then refrozen, that's a different story. When perishable food is left to sit at temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit (also known as the "danger zone") for longer than two hours — or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees — harmful bacteria can rapidly multiply. Unfortunately, freezing or refreezing the food does not undo the bacteria growth that's occurred in the time it's spent at unsafe temperatures.

To best enjoy your Marie Callender's pie, the company's website recommends keeping pies frozen until you're ready to prepare them and to not refreeze them once they've completely thawed. Instead, cover and refrigerate any unused portion for up to three days. 

If you only want one slice but want to preserve the rest of the pie for a later time, you can do so without thawing the entire thing and thereby risk a loss of quality. Simply remove the pie from its packaging and use a sharp knife dipped in warm water to slice off the portion you want and place the slice on a plate to thaw. If you want the whole pie to have perfectly cut pie slices that are ready to thaw whenever a craving hits, consider pre-slicing the entire pie and then immediately returning the slices to the freezer.

Alternatively, if you know you'll only be eating a slice or two, you could opt for one of the brand's smaller dessert options instead. Marie Callender's offers 2-packs of mini pies in flavors like chocolate satin, salted caramel cream, coconut cream, and key lime; along with individual packs of it's fruit pies, such as apple, peach, and cherry berry.