Scale back

When an entire pie, crisp or cobbler is too much, scale down the recipe and bake individual portions in custard cups. You will need to cut the baking time by at least 10 minutes.

The golden rule

One of the most reliable kitchen gadgets is a 39-cent plastic ruler. It tells when pie crust is thin enough and when a pan is 8 and not 9 inches square. Also, you can use it as a straight edge to guide a knife.