A perfect pie requires a perfect pie crust. At Jefferson Street Ceramics we are potters by day, and die hard bakers by night! We had the idea to use our american clays (the same clay we use to make our ceramic bakeware) to make pie weights for baking perfect blind pie crusts. A blind crust is simply pre-baking your crust for a little while before you add all the good filling. But without something to weight the crust down it can slump , bubble and shrink. To use our baking beads simply place a piece of parchment paper in your unbaked pie crust and fill with our all natural clay beads, then place in the oven. Once your crust has browned, remove the weights and allow to cool. Our weights are vitrified ceramic (fired to 220 degrees f) which means they won't soak up water and oil and become smelly or rancid over time. Because of this they are super easy to store and clean. When finished baking, simply wash the beads with warm soapy water and lay on a cloth to dry. When dry place back in the breathable cotton mesh bag and store until you get the hankering to bake again. (Which we hope is often!) Our pie weights are made from 100% natural American clays and fired to 2000 degrees F, assuring that they are completely food safe. Since pie baking rarely is about scrimping, we have provided a full 2.4 lb of beads in each bag, ample beads for baking 1- 9" pie or two 7". Since we use all natural quality clays our beads have subtle variation in color, size and shape. Jefferson Street Ceramics is committed to great ceramics and amazing pie. We are humbled and honored to take part in your pie baking tradition. We're confident you'll be 100% satisfied with your purchase, but just to be sure we offer a full 30-day money back guarantee. So, come on fellow baker, add to your cart today and let us help you bake some great American pie!