View Single Post
  #26 (permalink)   Report Post  
Posted to rec.food.cooking
Wayne Boatwright
 
Posts: n/a
Default Do I need to refrigerate pies?

On Thu 24 Nov 2005 07:35:11a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it ~patches~?

> Julia Altshuler wrote:
>
>> It is Wednesday night at 10:30. One pumpkin pie and one apple pie have
>> come out of the oven and cooled off. We know we need to refrigerate
>> the pumpkin one, but what about the apple? Does the crust get soggy in
>> the fridge? Is there an advantage to leaving it out? After the thread
>> about going overboard in the sanitation department, I'm reluctant to
>> ask the question, but I honestly don't know. What's the common sense
>> answer?
>>
>>
>> --Lia
>>

>
> Julia, I don't refrigerate pies. I let them cool, cover with saran
> wrap, then put them in the breadbox if there is room or set them on top
> of the freezer. There are two reasons I don't refrigerate pies. First,
> we usually use them the same day they are made or at most the next day.
> Second, I'd be hard pressed to find room in the fridge for pies. To
> answer your question regarding soggy crust. I made an apple strudel
> using puff pastry, a more delicate pastry than regular pie pastry. I
> put the remainder in the fridge and the pastry didn't get soggy.


I only refrigerate cream pies, or custard pie if it's not finished in a
day. All other pies stay out, only covered by a light tea towel. IMHO, I
think wrapping in plastic wrap causes moisture to invade the pastry more
quickly and changes the texture. I'm not saying "soggy", but just a
difference in texture. Puff pastry, phyllo dough, or strudel dough are
far more resistant to moisture invasion than is pie pastry, due mainly to
the construction of those pastries and the higher fat content.
Refrigerating pie pastry also changes the texture because the fat in the
crust becomes far more hard. Just my personal preference to leave it all
out whenever possible.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!