Do You Refrigerate Butterscotch Pie?

It pays to know how to properly store a recipe as soon as you've finished creating it. As you've probably come to discover in the kitchen, some items will be allowed to sit out, while others need to be cooled in the refrigerator to successfully set up. If you're about to make a butterscotch pie and want to know if it needs refrigerated, we can help. We researched recipes for this dessert in depth so that you'll know for sure what to do.

Once your butterscotch pie has been baked and cooled on the counter, it should be refrigerated until it is ready to be served.

Now that we know that butterscotch pie needs to be refrigerated, we'll take a look at why. You might also be wondering what other pies need to be refrigerated or why stores do not refrigerate their pies. For the answers to these questions and more, read ahead in this post to see what our research has uncovered.

Why your butterscotch pie needs to be refrigerated

Once that butterscotch pie emerges from a hot oven, you'll want to let it cool for a bit on the countertop. But once the temperature has dropped inside your baked creation, it'll be time to place it inside your refrigerator. Don't worry, there's a good reason for this.

Slowly chilling your butterscotch pie helps the filling to gently cool. This creates a firm consistency so that when you cut off a slice it won't be as messy. Allowing a butterscotch pie to sit out at room temperature will make it a bit of a runny mess. This makes it maddening to cut and just as frustrating to eat.

Experts recommend keeping your butterscotch pie in the refrigerator until it is ready to be served. If the entire pie isn't consumed by your family or guests in one sitting, cover the pie with some plastic wrap and place it back inside the fridge until you are ready to resume eating it.

What other pies need to be refrigerated?

When perusing various pie recipes, you'll find that butterscotch pies aren't the only ones that need some reserved space in your fridge.

In fact, there is a multitude of these sweet baked goods that will fare much better in cooler temperatures. So if you're planning on preparing a variety of pies for an upcoming gathering, take note of what you should leave some room for in the refrigerator.

One popular pie that needs to be refrigerated until eating is custard pie. Cream pies, too, will need to stay refrigerated.

In fact, experts reveal that any pie that has eggs or dairy in them really ought to be refrigerated for safety's sake. They will typically keep for two days, so take note of when they are placed inside and be sure to discard any leftovers before they spoil.

Refrigerating pies that need it isn't just about consistency and ease of slicing. It can be a health concern, too. Pies rich in dairy and eggs can grow harmful bacteria if left out at room temperature for too long. Be sure to keep your pies stored properly so that you and your family can avoid serious illness.

Why don't stores and restaurants refrigerate their pies?

When shopping in the bakery section of your local grocery store, you might notice that many of their variety of pies are in cases at room temperature. This might make you wonder why this is a safe practice. Don't worry, though. There are good reasons why these pies can be kept out and do you no harm.

The pies you see on store display tend to be freshly baked, many of them prepared that morning. Additionally, they have preservatives added to them to make them more shelf-stable. Once you get the pie home and slice it into it, however, you should refrigerate what is left until you are ready to eat more.

As we mentioned earlier in this post, pies with eggs and dairy should be refrigerated as soon as they've cooled. These are typically the variety of pies you'll find in the refrigerator cases at the supermarket.

How long can you keep a pie before it goes bad?

Unless you have a handful of people eating a pie, you'll most likely have some left over after it is first served. But you won't have to discard the remaining pieces. It's safe to store pies for a time until you are ready to finish your creation.

Any pie that has been cut into should be stored in the refrigerator. A good rule of thumb here is to not keep the pie afterward for more than two days. This is the same for fruit pies as it is for rich, creamy pies like butterscotch or custard.

Fruit pies can also stand at room temperature for two days after they have emerged from your oven provided no one has cut into them. And once you've eaten a slice or two, you'll still have two more days of life out of them after they are refrigerated.

If you are baking a lot of pies in advance for a holiday gathering, you'll be able to safely keep your fruit pies out on the counter a day or two before the event.

How can you tell if a pie has gone bad?

With so many items in our hectic schedules, it can be easy to lose track of time. If you are having some issues remembering just when you put your pie in the fridge, you'll want to know whether or not it's still good to eat. Thankfully, there are some telltale signs of spoilage to look for.

Examine the crust of your pies. If there is any sign of mold or other growth, then the pie is past its useful life. Discard it immediately. Additionally, look for any signs of the color of the pie changing. The color of the crust and other ingredients will change color before the mold appears, so watch out for it.

Smell the pie. If the smell is off, then the pie has started to spoil. And if you take a bite of pie that has a flavor that isn't quite right, don't finish your serving. When in doubt, it's okay to just toss it out. After all, you can always bake a new one, right?

Can you get sick from eating old pie?

Just in case you are tempted to eat an old piece of pie that's been lingering in your refrigerator for too long, DON'T. The ingredients inside these delicious baked goods will not stay stable for very long, even when they are chilling out with your oat milk and produce. Eating an old piece of pie is a great way to get yourself sick.

Pie crusts will usually contain eggs. And many pie fillings also have this key ingredient. Any recipe with eggs increases the chance of salmonella poisoning, especially if it sits out too long.

And even though a pie with eggs or dairy is kept refrigerated, the older it gets, the greater the likelihood of it growing this harmful bacteria.

Salmonella poisoning isn't the only danger. The molds that pies can grow as they age can make a person pretty sick, too. Be sure that you are storing your pies correctly, and never eat a pie that is old or seems suspect.

Final thoughts

Butterscotch pies are a delicious dessert but will be very thin and runny if they are stored at room temperature. This pie, like many others, should be refrigerated until it is ready to be served.

No matter what pie you are baking, be sure to always store it in the fridge after you have sliced into it so that it will continue to keep until you are ready to serve it again.

Make it this far? We hope this post answered all of your questions. For additional information, we suggest reading the following posts:

Can You Bake Two Cakes At The Same Time? [Inc. Pies And Cheesecake]

Which Oven Rack Is Hottest? [And Which Cooks Food The Fastest?]

Does Almond Butter Need To Be Refrigerated? [Before And After Opening]