I read that a huge number of people mess up their meringue because of one thing

I was looking at a baking science site yesterday and it said over 60% of failed meringues are because of even a tiny bit of fat or grease in the bowl. I always knew it was bad, but I didn't think it was that high. I found this out after my own lemon meringue pie turned into soup last weekend. Has anyone else had a meringue just completely fall apart on them?

3 comments

3 Comments

bettykim2mo ago

Oh man, that soup feeling is the worst. I had a chocolate pie do the same thing at a family dinner, it was so embarrassing. I'm almost paranoid about cleaning my bowl and beaters now, I even wipe them down with lemon juice or vinegar sometimes. What kind of pie were you trying to make?

faithb782mo ago

Did you ever consider maybe your pie just wanted to be pudding, @bettykim?

maxb462mo ago

Oh wow, that number is crazy high but I totally believe it. I mean, I had a key lime pie disaster that was just a puddle because I guess I didn't wash my mixer bowl well enough after making buttercream. It's such a simple thing to mess up. Now I'm like, weirdly intense about it, I'll even use a paper towel with a little soap and hot water right before I start. It feels silly but it works.