What’s the Deal With My Crying Meringue? (As Well as What to Do About It)

Many people believe baking pies to be a Christmas ritual. Whatever you’re celebrating, it’ll be good to have a tasty pie to share with your family.

Many of the best pies need a lovely meringue topping. Creating meringue may seem difficult at first for novices.

It’s simple to make little errors that cause the meringue to come out unevenly. For example, you may observe that the meringue on top of the pie is weeping.

Why is the meringue crying in this way? What did you most likely do incorrectly to cause the meringue to come out this way?

Continue reading to find out how to create meringue without it crying. This should help you have a better experience the next time you make a meringue pie.

What Is Weeping Meringue?

To avoid misunderstanding, it is critical to understand what is meant by the phrase weeping meringue. When the meringue weeps, it indicates that a moisture layer exists between the meringue and the remainder of the pie.

You’ll note that the pie is a little wet as a result of the weeping. This is a terrible thing to happen to your meringue pie.

This occurs after the pie has been chilled, and it might be upsetting. You go through all that trouble to bake a meringue pie, only to discover that the meringue is crying.

It is not essential to discard the pie since it will most likely still taste good. The pie will never be flawless, and it would be much better if it didn’t have that watery aspect holding it back.

Now that you know what weeping meringue is, it’s time to figure out why it happens. You will later be given critical advice on how to prevent this from occurring again.

What Causes Meringue Pies to Weep?

Weeping meringue is an issue that happens when a pie is undercooked or overcooked. You most likely made a mistake by cooking the pie too long or too short.

Over cooking of meringue results in the formation of sweet moisture drips. If you stick to the recipe’s instructions, you should be able to prevent overcooking the meringue.

While waiting for the meringue to complete baking, remember to set a timer and stay close to the oven. You should be alright as long as you stay on top of things.

The most prevalent reason of weeping meringue is undercooking. Undercooking products containing eggs is also risky owing to the possibility of salmonella contamination.

Preferably, place your meringue on top of the hot filling so that it can start cooking right away. This reduces the likelihood of undercooking the meringue.

After the pie has finished baking, it should be properly stored. Take the time to cover and refrigerate the pie so that it looks beautiful and tastes delicious.

If you do everything correctly, you should not have to deal with weeping meringue. Mistakes can occur from time to time, but you may do your best to avoid them.

Advice for Keeping Meringue From Weeping

It will be simpler to keep the meringue from weeping if you approach the procedure in certain ways. You want to prevent excess moisture, which means being cautious with how you make the meringue.

You want to attempt to stabilize the liquid by attaching it to the egg whites and thickened cornstarch while beating the mixture to make the meringue. If you do this properly, the liquid will not leak out.

You should also cook the filling on the top of the burner for a full two minutes. This allows the cornstarch to thicken correctly, which should reduce the likelihood of leakage.

When the meringue is hot, spread it evenly over the filling. This warms up the underside of the meringue as it cooks on the top of the oven.

This mixture will prevent the meringue from becoming watery. If you follow this advice, you should not have to deal with runny fluids.

Humidity Issues

Another strange thing to consider is that the humidity levels in your house might affect the meringue. In normal conditions, you may not consider things like this, but it might be a concern that causes the child to cry.

If you live in a very humid region of the globe, the high humidity may make it more likely that you may experience crying. This is why it’s best to prepare meringue pies on days when it won’t be as humid.

True, most people will not have to contend with such severe humidity that baking meringue pies becomes difficult. It’s just worth mentioning that if your house is really humid, this may be a problem.

You might attempt to remedy your home’s humidity problems by acquiring a dehumidifier. If your house is very humid, this might be handy for a variety of reasons.

Undissolved Sugar Can Be Problematic

Undissolved sugar may be troublesome for the meringue, something you may not have considered. You may make a mistake or two when stiffening the egg whites for the meringue, and this will occur as a consequence.

It’s conceivable that the crying is caused by undissolved sugar. Fortunately, you can avoid this by being cautious with how you beat the egg whites.

Using a low speed setting on your mixer, combine the egg whites and sugar. Continue mixing until the mixture is smooth.

Check with your fingertips to determine whether the mixture is gritty. When the mixture is smooth, it means that all of the sugar has been thoroughly dissolved.

Some people want to make things easy by purchasing sugar that dissolves more easily. Superfine sugar dissolves quickly.

If you like, you may use caster sugar, which dissolves fast as well. Regular granulated sugar takes longer to dissolve, but there’s no reason why you can’t use it if you’re meticulous.

Seal the Meringue Completely

It is critical to remember to properly seal the meringue. If you don’t do this, moisture will likely collect between the meringue and the pie.

This implies that you must guarantee that the meringue extends all the way to the edge of the pie. If the meringue does not go far enough, the outcome will be poor.

Just add the appropriate quantity of meringue on top of the pie. This isn’t difficult to do, yet individuals make errors when they haste.

Don’t go too rapidly that you don’t adequately seal the meringue. Take your time, and your pies will be far more likely to come out perfectly.

Prepare the Meringue First

Don’t make the filling before the meringue. While the meringue is still hot, spread it over the filling.

This will not be feasible until you have the meringue ready to go. When everything is ready, put the meringue on top of the hot filling.

It allows the meringue to cook from the bottom rather than the top like the oven does. If you do things this way, you should have no trouble with tears.

Usually people attempt to schedule things such that the filling and meringue are completed at the same time. It would be much great if you could accomplish this.

If you have assistance in the kitchen, have them mix the pudding and heat everything up while you make the meringue. In any case, remember to sprinkle the meringue over the heated filling rather than the cold filling.

Final Thoughts

You’ve learned a lot about why meringue pies may cry. Weeping meringue pies may irritate you, but you should be able to prevent this in the future.

You’ll know what to avoid now that you know what causes meringue to cry. Be sure to cook the meringue for the appropriate length of time so that everything goes smoothly.

Meringue pies may leak from both undercooking and overcooking. You’ll want to bake everything precisely as directed so that the pies come out great.

It is also critical to keep an eye out for other problems. Severe humidity issues may increase the likelihood of meringue weeping.

Problems will arise if the sugar is not thoroughly dissolved when producing the meringue. Avoid circumstances like these as much as possible, and your pies will look and taste fantastic.

This holiday season, don’t be afraid to cook a delicious meringue pie for your family. You have the expertise required to execute an excellent job.