How to Keep Lemon Meringue Pie Crust from Getting Soggy

3 Responses for "How to Keep Lemon Meringue Pie Crust from Getting Soggy"

1. Jane November 24th, 2008 at 9:11 pm

   why does lemon meringue pie get soggy after baking

2. Adam Cutsinger November 25th, 2008 at 3:16 pm

   Hi Jane,
   The egg proteins that make up a meringue become very susceptible to moisture once they are denatured (whipped up) enough.
   Even by spreading it onto a lemon filling that is completely cooled you can cause what’s known as ‘weeping’ because the little bit of extra moisture in a slightly underbaked filling is absorbed by the meringue. So spread it on while the filling is still warm.
   Also, by the same token, storing the meringue with any other food items that may contain a little bit of moisture will cause the meringue to soften.
   Undissolved sugar will cause weeping as well, so a good way to prevent that is to be patient and let the meringue rest, and the sugar to absorb, then return to it and whip it some more.
   Overbaking can cause moisture ‘beading,’ as the proteins tighten up in the oven and squeeze out moisture, which in turn then gets absorbed and makes the meringue soggy as well.
   Make sure to spread the meringue thoroughly over the top of the filling to seal it up at the edges, to prevent shrinking, which can lead to weeping as well since the moisture in the filling is unlocked.
   There’s definitely a trick, or several tricks, to making meringue work out right, and nobody gets it perfect the first time, but if you follow these basic principles you will undoubtedly be well on your way to magnificent meringues.
   Have fun baking!

3. Hazel Dunant January 30th, 2011 at 2:49 pm

   My lemon pie crust was soggy. The pie crust box suggested pre-baking the crust for 10 minutes @ 350 F. then cooled. I made my lemon pie filling which seemed great. In reading the above reason for soggy crust – I had a problem with the egg whites whipping up nice and fluffy. I got peaks but not too perky ones. I spread it entirely over the filling to the crust, baked as suggested, after it got to room temperature I put it in the refrigerator (as I was going to serve it the next day), covered it with a cover so it wouldn’t take on refrigerator odors. The crust was a disaster. The pie tasted good but it looked like a mess. After all that work I was really disappointed.