Does Blueberry Pie Need to Be Refrigerated?
Blueberry pie is one of those sweet delights you fall in love with almost instantly. It is delicious, fruity, refreshing, and very light. However, more often than not, you will have blueberry pie leftovers, imposing the issue of storing it. So, does blueberry pie need to be refrigerated?
If the blueberry pie contains perishables such as eggs, butter, cream, or condensed milk, you need to keep it in the fridge. If it doesn’t have animal-origin ingredients, you can keep it on the counter, but not longer than two days.
Since storing blueberry pie is often a problem, especially when it comes to keeping it fresh and as flavorful as when you made it, refrigeration is the most frequent solution. However, the fridge may dry out your pie, reducing its flavor, and it isn’t always the best option. Therefore, in the following paragraphs, I will explain how to store blueberry pie and when it needs to be refrigerated.
How Do You Store a Baked Blueberry Pie?
The first thing to remember when storing blueberry pie is to never cut it to make it fit into a smaller container. Take what is left of your blueberry pie and place it in a container of a suitable size. If you don’t have a large container to fit the entire thing, use the plate you served it on.
Whether you refrigerate your blueberry pie, you need to cover it. Leaving your blueberry pie uncovered will expose it to moisture, heat, and light and trigger changes in its structure. If you keep it in a room with moisture, such as your kitchen, it may get soggy, or if you keep it under direct light, it may get overly dry.
Therefore, ensure your blueberry pie is as protected as possible and cover it with a cotton towel or plastic wrap.
Whether you refrigerate your blueberry pie depends on its composition. If your blueberry pie contains perishables such as eggs, cream, condensed milk, or butter, you need to refrigerate it once you eat.
If your blueberry pie is just crust and blueberry filling, you can leave it at room temperature for about two days. The fact that there are no animal-origin products in your blueberry doesn’t mean it can sit at room temperature forever. The blueberry filling can go bad too, but the spoilage will occur a bit later since it has been thermally processed.
In the fridge, keep your blueberry pie on the top shelf and make sure it is as protected from the fridge air as possible. If you don’t use an airtight container, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and cover it in aluminum foil.
How Long Can Blueberry Pie Sit Out?
You need to store your blueberry pie in some way at latest two hours after baking it. So whether you refrigerate it after or you just wrap it and place it somewhere safe, two hours is the longest your blueberry pie should be sitting out.
If your blueberry pie doesn’t contain any perishables, you can keep it at room temperature for up to two days, but again, you need to wrap it to isolate it from the external elements.
Can You Reheat Blueberry Pie?
Yes, you can reheat blueberry pie. Pies generally do well when reheated, their crusts get softer, and their fillings are more flavorful. Therefore reheating your blueberry pie will restore it very close to its freshly-baked form.
However, only because reheating is an excellent way to revive your pie doesn’t mean that any appliance would do a good job. It is best to reheat your pie in the oven, a general reheating rule, i.e., to reheat the food using the appliance you used to make it.
Don’t use the microwave, as it will make your blueberry pie soggy. If you use the stove, increase the temperature gradually and be prepared to have an unevenly heated pie.
The air fryer is not your best option, as it will dry out your blueberry pie.
