Flute

Fluting is creating a decorative pattern of ridges, grooves, or scalloped indentations around the edge of a food, most often the rim of a pie crust. The word describes both the technique and the finished look, which resembles the fluted columns or wavy edges the term is borrowed from. Beyond decoration, fluting a pie crust also helps seal the top and bottom pastry together and forms a raised rim that helps contain a juicy filling.

The classic fluted pie edge is made by pinching the dough between the thumb of one hand and the thumb and index finger of the other, working all the way around to create an even, wavy border. The same idea of decorative shaping is applied to mushrooms, citrus, and other fruits and vegetables for garnish. For a crisp, well-defined pattern that holds through baking, chill the fluted crust before it goes into the oven so the shape does not slump.