The Pie Crimper and Trimmer: Seal, Mark and Trim in One Pass

"It is well known that in making pies the upper and lower crusts have to be pressed together firmly at the edges to make them adhere to each other, and before baking those parts of the crusts projecting beyond the plate are trimmed off with a knife". "The nature of my invention consists in the use, when combined in the same implement, of a cutting instrument for trimming the pie, and a wheel for crimping and ornamenting the edge." "I am aware that a wheel with cogs is an old device".

Scrub a small steel gear free of oil. Bend a length of steel wire into a long loop for a handle and twist its two strands together, as in the patent drawing. Thread one end through the gear's hole and bend it over so the gear turns freely. Hammer the other end flat on the vise and file it to a blunt blade. Rub 125 g of cold butter into 250 g of flour with a pinch of salt, add about 4 tablespoons of cold water and press it into a dough. Roll half into the pie dish, fill it with sliced apples and a little sugar, and lay the other half on top. Press the blade against the rim of the dish and draw the crimper round once: the blade trims and the wheel seals and marks. Time it with the stopwatch, then time a fork and knife on a second pie. Bake at about 200 °C until golden.

**Charles A. Shaw** of Biddeford, Maine, received US 30,592, dated 6 November 1860. He did not claim the cog wheel or a guided crimper on their own, only the knife and wheel "combined to crimp and trim a pie at one operation". **Honest limits.** The notebook assumes the wheel rolls without slipping; on soft pastry it slips a little. Pie and wheel sizes are examples. Your two stopwatch times are the measurement.