Wasted $50 on a fancy pie weight set that cracked in the oven

Bought those ceramic beads from a specialty shop last month and they split after one use at 375 degrees. Anyone had better luck with just using dried beans or chains instead?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_young5921d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah I mean I read somewhere that the ceramic beads are really just for thermal mass and the cheap ones can have moisture trapped inside that makes them crack. I've been using dried chickpeas for years actually and they work fine. You just gotta be careful about not letting them burn at higher temps. Also I remember someone saying you can reuse them a few times but they'll start to smell after a while. Maybe give the beans a shot before dropping more money on fancy stuff.

grant.felix21d ago

Last time I tried chickpeas they split open and made a mess in my smoker. I switched to plain old river rocks from my yard, washed em good and dried them out in the oven at 250 for an hour. Been using the same batch for two years now and they still hold heat fine. Just throw em in a mesh bag when you're done and hose em off. Costs nothing and works better than anything I ever bought.

drewgonzalez21d ago

Man, you're spot on about the moisture thing. A buddy of mine tried those cheap ceramic beads and half of them split open on his first cook, just like you said. If chickpeas work for you and you keep an eye on the temp, that's a solid cheap option that gets the job done without all the fancy marketing.