There are many common baking mistakes to which we can fall victim, and unfortunately, there's really no good way to tell if you executed a fruit pie recipe correctly until you're cutting into the finished pie. However, as tempting as it might be, you should never cut a fruit pie while it's still warm.

While nearly all fruit pies use some sort of thickening agent — like cornstarch, all-purpose flour, or instant tapioca — to create a filling that's set rather than runny, the thickener needs to fully cool off to gel properly, per America's Test Kitchen. If you cut into the pie too early, your filling will likely flow out, and your top crust will probably collapse.

Because the sugar allows the temperature of the filling to surpass the boiling point of water, fully cooling a fruit pie takes longer than you might think. Even if you want to serve your fruit pie warm later on, you should never skip the initial cooling process — America’s Test Kitchen recommends letting it rest for a four-hour minimum, while King Arthur Baking strongly suggests leaving the pie overnight.