It's that time of year. Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, pies. Oh no... pies? Crusts? Pie crusts can be tricky for the inexperienced pastry chef. Do not fret. Below are 7 easy tips on how to make the best pie crust:

Choose a good recipe- There are a variety of excellent recipes. You have your graham cracker crust, your nut crusts, then there is the traditional standard pie crust. Your standard pie crust the recipe should consist of flour, fat, liquid, and salt. A simple recipe generally gets the best results.

Always refrigerate the shortening/butter and liquid- Before incorporating the fat and liquid, it's best if the these ingredients are cold to prevent the fat from blending too much with the dry ingredients (which should already be mixed separately). Cut the fat into pieces and use a pastry cutter to incorporate. After incorporating the fat, add the cold liquid (also mixed separately) a large spoonful at a time mixing gently with a fork.

Handle dough as little as possible- Ever have a pie crust that was tougher than cement? Probably because the dough was overworked. When mixing ingredients, toss the dough like your making a crumble. Do not mix like you're making bread. Overworked dough makes a tougher crust.

Refrigerate the dough before using- Refrigerate the dough for a half hour or longer. This makes the dough cohesive and more easily workable. It also gives the crust a better texture when it's baked. Make sure you cover the dough with plastic so it doesn't dry out.

Roll dough onto rolling pin- This is a little known trick that helps keep your crust together. After rolling out the dough, roll it around your rolling pin then unroll onto pie pan. This keeps your crust from falling apart.

Cover the edges of the crust when baking- This keeps your edges from burning. You can use tin foil but this might come off while baking. The best solution is to use a pie crust shield.

Bake pie on a metal baking sheet- Tired to soggy crusts? Placing the pie pan on top of the metal baking sheet will help it bake more evenly so that you don't get partially baked parts or burned crust.

The holiday season is the perfect time for pie. Just make sure you take these steps and you'll have everybody singing your praises. It's just a matter of taking the right steps to ensure you get the best pie crust. Good luck on all your culinary endeavors. Happy Holidays!