In its most basic function, a pie iron is a way to cook grilled sandwiches and fruit pies over an open fire. This is done by placing the food (in the above cases, two pieces of buttered bread with cheese or fruit filling) inside a cooking compartment formed by two metal casting that hook together using a hinge. Metal rods with wood handles extend from the castings so the user can easily manoeuvre the pie iron over a campfire. A few minutes over the heat and a perfectly toasted sandwich or pie emerges from the cooker.

Of course if that's all there was to a pie iron, this site wouldn't exist, you wouldn't be reading this and we probably wouldn't have been making them since the early 60's. What the pie iron really does is bring together family and friends around a campfire to enjoy easy to cook snacks in a fun and inclusive environment.