Why is there liquid at the bottom of my lemon meringue pie?
Why is it that whenever I make a lemon meringue pie, (packaged lemon filling, directions followed EXACTLY), and I cut into it, there is always a puddle of liquid on the bottom? I do use 7 egg whites but I put a bit of cornstarch in to help with the beads of moisture on top. That works, but I don't think that is related to my puddle problem! I have also tried to add the meringue to the lemon filling when it was hot and when it was cold. I have also tried to refrigerate the pie and just leave it on the counter. Still, a puddle! Does anyone have any ideas why I am getting a puddle on the bottom of my pie?
Best Answer
Water seeping from meringue is practically always coming from the egg whites. There are a few standard things you can do to reduce it.
First, do not overbeat. For some reason, recipes love to direct people to beat egg whites "to stiff peaks". These are almost never needed, and can easily lead to self-destructing foam (the proteins continue tightening after the beating, squeezing the water out and creating large, easily-collapsed bubbles). Go for soft peaks at most. I have found that using a high speed setting also helps, and beating per hand almost always leads to weeping, even if stopped early.
Second, use cream of tartar to create a stabler meringue without too much beating.
Third, the cornstarch isn't binding enough of the free water. If you whip less, you will have less free water, but if it is still not enough, you can use something more effective, e.g. xanthan.
Look around the site for more advice against weeping meringue. Also look at the pictures in that answer - the meringue there is for macarons, which are very sensitive to the meringue quality.
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Quick Answer about "Why is there liquid at the bottom of my lemon meringue pie?"
Water is leaking from the beaten whites (they're 87% water), pooling between the filling and the meringue, and dripping down the sides to the crust. The cause? While the meringue cooks on top when it is put into a hot oven, there isn't sufficient time for the meringue to cookWhy is there liquid in the bottom of my lemon meringue pie?
Unfortunately "weeping" or "beading" meringue on a lemon meringue pie is quite common. As the meringue is not baked for long the sugar in the meringue absorbs moisture, turns into syrup and tends to leak, or weep, out of the meringue.Why is my meringue watery at the bottom?
The number one reason that your meringue is going watery is that your egg whites have not been whipped enough. Meringues get all their volume from the air whipped into an egg white and sugar mixture, and often people underestimate how long a time is needed to whip them.How do you fix a weeping meringue?
Add cornstarch mixture, a tablespoon at a time, continuously beating until stiff peaks form, and the egg whites have reached maximum volume. Reheat lemon filling over very low heat during last minutes of beating the meringue, to make sure filling is hot.Can you fix a runny lemon meringue pie?
If your pie filling is runny, add in one additional tablespoon of cornstarch to the lemon filling, and stir over medium heat. It should thicken in 1 to 2 minutes.6 secrets to perfect lemon meringue pie every time
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Answer 2
Making pies with meringue will also weep if the weather is damp or humid. When I make my Lemon meringue pie I always make my meringue first then I cook my lemon and then pour the hot lemon in the crust and put the meringue on top and throw it right in the oven and seals it. Now if you're using white sugar you can substitute it for icing sugar and that can help also from weeping.
Answer 3
If despite these good pieces of advise you still experience the issue you can put some almond powder on your crust which will act as a sponge and absorb the excess liquid.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Lisa, PhotoMIX Company, Pixabay, Karolina Grabowska