Why does pie meringue weep

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Share this —. Follow today. More Brands. When soft peaks are formed, drizzle in the sugar while beating.

Continue beating until stiff peaks are formed. In a saucepan, dissolve the cornstarch into water. Heat and stir until it is bubbling and thickened. Drizzle the hot syrup into the egg whites while beating slowly with the electric mixer. Continue beating until the egg whites are at full volume and stiff peaks are formed. With a spatula, spread the meringue topping on the filling. Press the topping against the crust so that the meringue will adhere to the crust during baking.

No one likes sticky beads forming on top of their pie, or a damp sticky layer between pie filling and topping, especially after making the effort to create something special. Aunt Hen had a solution.

She discovered a No-Weep Meringue and she loved to share the recipe well into her eighties. The long spell of hot weather that was hovering over the Pacific Northwest has broken now.

The skies are bright and brushed with wispy clouds and the morning air feels cool against my skin. That cooler air beckons me back into the kitchen. Still the heat is simmering in my mind as I stir my kitchen memories on a quiet Monday morning.

When I was a child something was always happening in the kitchen, no matter the ambient temperature. Even on the hottest summer days there was food to prepare and people to be fed. Fried chicken takes a skillet of hot grease to transform it into crisp tender mouthfuls of southern perfection.

Corn on the cob takes a kettle of boiling water to bring out its bright color and juicy sweetness. Even summer salads made with pasta or potatoes must be prepared on the stove top. Think of Baked Alaska, or the mountains of foam piled invitingly high on top of a Lemon Meringue Pie. Even these refreshing desserts need some heat to set those golden peaks.

The alchemy of the kitchen is almost always hot work! To delight and nourish family and friends, someone has to do it. When I was a girl that someone was Aunt Hen. Of course there are dishes that can both feed a family and avoid the heat. Times have definitely changed. Back when I was a girl those options were fewer. Produce from the garden needed to be cooked or preserved. Having grown up on a farm during the depression, and ever thankful for its abundant produce, Aunt Hen was reluctant to let any food go to waste.

Besides packaged foods and deli selections were pricier than home cooked, and take-out was harder to come by. I think my aunt considered those options beneath her dignity for much of her life. My uncle worked hard and when he was alive Aunt Hen saw it as her responsibility to feed him well.

To her that meant preparing hot home cooked meals, regardless of the season. She took pride in her skills in the kitchen and the pleasure others took in the food she prepared. Later in life she had my brother, my dad and me to feed. Despite those changes in circumstances, she still took her role as the family cook seriously. There she would be stirring something over the hot stove, sweat rising on her brow as a box fan at the periphery of the room blew a scant breeze her way.

As she cooked she carefully showed me how she made a meringue topped pie. We cooked the filling and smoothed it into the waiting pie shell. Now I understand that weeping meringue is an age-old problem. No, weeping meringue can be a real challenge to bakers, especially when it is humid. While weeping meringue is a real problem, Aunt Hen had a solution. She had discovered a No-Weep Meringue and she loved to share the recipe well into her eighties.

Even after she had moved to a nursing home, Aunt Hen would call me and ask me to look up the recipe for her. She would direct me to her cookbooks and have me pull out the blue one. With my heart melting in my chest, I would lovingly open her old cookbook and read to her the carefully handwritten recipe that she eagerly wanted to share with a new friend:.

Weeping meringue is an age-old problem, but Aunt Hen had a solution. She discovered a recipe for No-Weep Meringue that she loved to share. Save Pin More. Cold eggs are easier to separate, but room-temperature whites attain more loft when whisked. Separate the eggs while cold, and then let the whites stand, covered, at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before beating. Crack eggs on a flat surface, such as your countertop, rather than the edge of a bowl. This reduces the chance that a shard of shell will puncture the yolk.

Carefully separate 1 egg into two small bowls -- one for the yolk, one for the egg white. Evaluate the egg white to determine if it's free of impurities before adding it to a larger mixing bowl. Repeat process, working with 1 egg at a time.

With this strategy, if a little yolk lands in a white, you'll contaminate only one white, rather than the entire batch. Comments 3 Add Comment. Martha Stewart Member. August 15, Why do my beautifully turned out meringues always go flat after they've cooled down? They taste fantastic but I miss the fluffy airiness they should have. How come? Thanks for your help.

December 14, Better stabilizer than cream of tartar is xanthan gum. Also, try making a Swiss or Italian meringue instead of French.

Your egg whites will be more stable, more shiny. January 31,