Photo by Peggy Cormary for The Washington Post; food styling by Carolyn Robb for The Washington Post
Pies are a labor of love when made from scratch. You’ve got to make the pie crust, roll it out, make a filling, bake it in the oven and then let it cool before you’re able to enjoy your first slice. This is easily an hours-long process, so unless you plan on eating it all that day - either with a group or by yourself (no judgment) - it’s wise to also consider how best to store it.
Whether you’re baking pies in advance for a bake sale or have Thanksgiving dessert leftovers, there are a few keys to preserving quality and ensuring food safety.
The deciding factor lies in the filling or topping and whether it contains eggs or dairy, such as milk (including canned condensed or evaporated milk), cream, butter, sour cream or cream cheese. This includes pumpkin, pecan, custard and meringue-topped pies. These desserts should not be left unrefrigerated for more than two hours to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Covered in the fridge, they will last for three to four days.
Fruit pies, such as apple, cherry and peach, are safe at room temperature for up to two days because the sugar and acid they contain inhibit bacterial growth.
Cover them with foil, plastic wrap, a cake dome or an overturned bowl when stored this way. After two days, they should be refrigerated, where they will last a couple more days. Alternatively, you can refrigerate them right away (after they’ve cooled) and they will last for up to one week.
However, the texture of the pie crust is best when kept out of the refrigerator, so I recommend initially storing fruit pies at room temperature. (You may finish them off before they need to be transferred to the fridge anyway.)
One caveat: Pies purchased from grocery stores and certain bakeries may contain preservatives, thus making them suitable to store at room temperature. In that case, consult the bakery or packaging for how to best store the baked good.
Lastly, if you don’t anticipate being able to enjoy all of the pie within its lifetime, freeze fruit and pecan pies for later. Most cream, custard and meringue pies do not hold up well to freezing.
