How Long Are Marie Callender's Pies Actually Good For After Baking?

Would you consider yourself a food-preservation optimist? Are you someone who has a box of crackers from 2012 in your cupboard? Have you actually attempted to test the shelf life of a Twinkie? And what even is that thing in the back of your fridge? Unfortunately, food goes bad. Expiration dates can be ignored sometimes, but not all the time. When it comes to Marie Callender's frozen pies, if you want to eat one and have it taste good and not potentially make you sick, enjoy it within three days of baking or thawing.

Keep in mind that that frozen pie will last considerably longer if left frozen — even up to eight months. But once you take it out of the freezer, the clock starts ticking. You've got three days before the flavor and quality, and perhaps even your health, could begin to be compromised. And don't stick that thawed or baked pie back in the freezer again; that will compromise both the quality of the pie and potentially even its food safety.

Marie Callender's makes many different pies, and there are ways to tell if each type is past its prime. For starters, the nose knows: If a pie smells weird or bad, that's a bad sign. Fruit pies, for example, can take on a sour odor or smell like booze, and that can mean that they're turning or the fruit is fermenting. As you can imagine, cream pies will also have a very distinct stench once they're past their glory days.

Pie crust can be your canary in the coal mine, so check the crust for telltale signs that it's time to bid a pie adieu. When the crust gets soggy or slimy, or if cracks appear that weren't there before, it could be signaling you that your dessert is on a slippery slope to spoilage. And, obviously, any unusual color blotches indicate that a pie is about to die. 

Unfortunately, premature pie problems are also quite possible. Your frozen pie might not even live out its full lifespan if something goes wrong beforehand. For example, if a pie is left out of the freezer for too long coming home from the supermarket and thaws, or if your freezer temperature yo-yos, a pie won't likely survive the ordeal. If you take it out of the box and discover freezer burn or ice crystals, that pie may be doomed and past saving — at the very least, for taste reasons. Consider storing it in the freezer in an airtight container or bag for extra protection.