We all love to have something new and are always up for new recipes. For this reason, we are often offered mouth-watering, tongue-licking new dishes that only come to us through some amazing and exciting experiments. But you cannot ignore some classic dishes that have been coming from the remote past without many changes and still are very much in demand.
Today I am here with such a vintage dish for you that is popular for its taste and flavor. It is popularly called lemon meringue pie. Now it’s time to go for the correct answer to a question- Does Lemon Meringue Pie Need To Be Refrigerated? So let’s go through every possible point to know all that we can.
Table of Contents
What Is Lemon Meringue Pie?
Lemon meringue pie is a kind of pie that is prepared through baking and usually, it’s considered a fantastic citrus dessert. It is made of flaky all-butter shortcrust that is used as the bottom pie and creamy lemon curd is taken as filling, and finally, the fluffy meringue is directly applied as the topping. The meringue is nothing but a mixture of stiffly beaten white eggs and sugar. The pie crust is buttery and moderately sweet with a deep filling. Altogether, with the look and taste, lemon meringue pie is a real treat to have.
Is Lemon Meringue Pie Better Hot Or Cold?
A lemon meringue pie should be served either at room temperature or cooled rather than warm or hot. Especially, you may get the best taste of it at room temperature. But serving hot not only can burn your tongue but it makes it impossible the cut properly. Only if it’s set and cool you can do the proper cutting and that also with a wet knife. And you can lose the flavour of this kind of pie if you cut it wrongly.
Also read: Does Pumpkin Pie Need To Be Refrigerated Overnight?
Can I Leave Lemon Meringue Pie Overnight?
Although you should serve this kind of pie best at room temperature, it may not stay better at the same temperature for too long. Because most of its ingredients cannot stay at their best in warm conditions. In fact, bacteria may thrive rapidly between 40°F to 140°F. Therefore, if the lemon meringue pie can be left out overnight at room temperature for not more than 2 hours. After it will be a subject to be discarded. And it’ll stay better for a well 2-3 days if you keep the leftovers in a refrigerator.
3 Ways To Store Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon meringue pie is a kind of dish that is needed to store properly. This kind of pie can become runny and wet if you store it improperly. Even you may find a change in its texture. To Keep at its best you have 3 convenient ways to follow easily. Here you go –
1. Storing For Several Hours
If you’re planning to have the lemon meringue pie within several hours that you have prepared, then you may follow this process.
Firstly, when the pie is done remove it from the oven and place it on a cooling rack for 1-2 hours so that air could make it cool from all sides.
Next, place the pie in a refrigerator for 3-6 hours. The pie should be kept on the top shelf of the fridge to avoid spilling or dripping from other foodstuffs on the pie.
Finally, remove the pie from the refrigerator and cut it into pieces using a knife. But before that, the knife should be dipped in cool water so that you can get a clean cut without sticking the pie to the knife.
2. Storing For Several Days
To store the lemon meringue pie for several days, you must wrap it in a plastic sheet before placing it in a refrigerator. But you should avoid plastic wrap from direct contact with the pie, the eggs begin to weep and your pie will look runny.
To prevent all of these, you have to take 3 or more toothpicks that vary according to the size of the pie and push them halfway between the centre and the crust.
Now you can cover the wrap on it. The toothpicks ensure you that there will be some gap between the wrap and the pie. Now place the pie on a pan and take a cling plastic wrap to cover the whole side of the wrap.
Finally, keep the whole set-up in the refrigerator for several days without being much concerned about it.
Also read: Does Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Need to Be Refrigerated? Does It Go Bad?
3. Preserve The Meringue
Before applying it to the pie you have to prepare meringue so that it can stay good for a long even after being used in the pie. All you need to make the meringue ready while the filling and crust are baking. Then allow the bottom part of the pie to cool first and then spread the meringue across the top of the pie. You can use a fork to spread the meringue all around the edges perfectly. Now place the whole pie in the refrigerator and allow it to bake for 2-3 minutes and until the meringue turns a slightly brown tint but soft and fluffy from inside.
Does Lemon Meringue Pie Need To Be Refrigerated?
Well, this entirely depends upon the time you want to eat the lemon meringue pie. As I have told you earlier, if you want to have them within an hour or two, then keeping the pie on the countertop at room temperature might not make any harm. But if you have to wait for several hours to a couple of days, then you must think of keeping the thing in a refrigerator. If your pie is without meringue, you can refrigerate it for even 6-7 days, but with the meringue, you cannot go beyond 1-2 days.
Do You Need To Refrigerate Store-Bought Lemon Meringue Pie?
A store-bought lemon meringue pie already comes with necessary preservatives that can prevent bacterial invasion in the pie. But keeping this kind of pie in a refrigerator within a limited period of time always helps you by keeping the whole thing away from being run and watery.
How Can You Tell If Lemon Meringue Pie Is Bad?
It’s not too difficult to say if your meringue pie is bad or spoiled. An overdated or wrongly stored meringue pie releases off smell, so you can easily judge it. Besides, if you find moulds appearing on the pie, you should discard the pie as early as you can.
Also read: Does Cherry Pie Need To Be Refrigerated? Does It Go Bad?
Can You Get Food Poisoning From Lemon Meringue Pie?
There would always be a chance of some health issues from having lemon meringue pie. For instance, an uncooked meringue that is made with egg whites may contain salmonella bacteria, and for consuming it you may suffer from diarrhoea, cramps, and fever. The egg yolk must be cooked to 160°F to kill the bacteria. If it’s store-bought pie then it’s either baked or cooked and even pasteurized, so it can safely be taken.
Can You Reheat Lemon Meringue Pie?
If you cannot manage to have the whole amount of lemon meringue pie and you have some leftovers, then you must be looking to reheat it. Generally, for reheating you have to keep the pie in the oven at 250°F for 15 minutes. But as this food is not the kind to be served hot, or it can remain at its best at room temperature, then you don’t need to reheat it. Only if the lemon custard-filled crust is fully chilled then you have to go for reheating.
Frequently asked questions
The lemon meringue pie can stay good in a refrigerator for 3-6 hours. And also you have to take care if it’s properly wrapped making a gap between the plastic and the pie. Unless you may find the pie watery and soggy.
However, lemon meringue pie is not a thing to be frozen as it can make the pie chewy and rubbery. But it still can be kept in a freezer. You should allow the pie to be completely cool first and then go for freezing. First, place the pie uncovered inside the freezer for 2 hours to make the thing solid. Then wrap the pie with 3 layers of plastic wrap and finally put it inside a freezer bag. In this way, your lemon meringue pie will remain suitable for up to 3 months.
Well, a few reasons can make the lemon meringue pie get watery. If the crust is not pre-baked before use the pie may release water after some time. If the meringue is whipped too much while processing, and even not enough, in both cases the same complaint can occur. Finally, if the pie is not allowed to cool completely before serving, the pie may get watery. So you have to keep all these things in mind.
Final Words
So it’s time to let the curtain down. What I am supposed to be told regarding “Does Lemon Meringue Pie Need To Be Refrigerated”? is done. Now it’s over to you. If you can follow the whole article carefully you can understand the pie better than before. So, enjoy your pie and allow me to say goodbye to all of you.
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