"The right tools make all the difference when making a good pie, starting with a good pastry blender. We tested nine pastry blenders and found one standout," said Paul Hope, product tester, Good Housekeeping Institute.

Good Housekeeping says the Oxo Good Grips Bladed Dough Blender for $10 cut shortening better than the competition. "We liked the Oxo because of its ergonomic, comfy handle, and because of its strong, reinforced stainless steel tines which were great for mashing pie dough," Hope said.

In Good Housekeeping’s rolling pin test, the KitchenAid Rolling Pin for $30 made rolling and clean up a breeze. Finally, the pan. Good Housekeeping baked apple-berry pies in 18 pans and found that Pyrex’s 9 and a half inch Pie Plate for only $5.50 and its deeper Flavor Saver panned out best.

"The Pyrex pie plate baked a great crust both top and bottom. It baked up pies that were nice enough to put on a Thanksgiving table," said Hope.

Good Housekeeping says the first step to creating a beautiful pie crust is getting the dough into the pie plate without tearing it. You want the dough to be three inches larger in diameter than the pie plate before you start.

To learn more, check out the November issue of Good Housekeeping or visit www.goodhousekeeping.com.