Kevin's Watch

OK, all you bakers out there.
As I have said in the past, I am not a baker.
But I do make a mean key lime pie.

It is dairy based with a real egg white meringue.
Is there anyway to package this safely and ship it?
At a reasonable cost?

Freeze it, then pack in a shipping cooler with an ice pack to keep it cold. Would only send overnight.

Disclosure - not a baker.

Don just wants you to send him a pie, Menolly.

But his suggestion would work, assuming the meringue would survive the freeze/thaw cycle. I'd suggest trying to freeze some meringue, and then thawing it, first, before committing to topping a pie and shipping the works.

I can't remember -- you bake the meringue, right?

I've kind of struggled with this myself, because of those meringue cookies I make. Clearly there's a way to make them so that they stand up to shipping without turning to meringue dust, because you can buy the cookies in the store. The idea still makes me nervous, tho...

aliantha wrote:Don just wants you to send him a pie, Menolly.

uh yeah, I was thinking the same.
but I was asking more for The Bob, as it was his birthday yesterday and he did that awesome April Fool's post...

I think the silly Vol would be just as happy, if not more so, with a pie without the meringue. What do Vols know of cracker baking anyway?

aliantha wrote:But his suggestion would work, assuming the meringue would survive the freeze/thaw cycle. I'd suggest trying to freeze some meringue, and then thawing it, first, before committing to topping a pie and shipping the works.

It really doesn't hold up that well, and I am not pleased with the texture of the pie itself after freezing. (I have tried it when I considered shipping a pie once before) I was thinking more along the lines of putting it in dry ice and shipping overnight, but again, I don't know how how well an unfrozen pie would hold up to shipping.

I think a better idea is for me to make some personal delivery runs to Georgia and Tennessee. Perhaps for a ticket into a UF/UGA and a UF/UT game at the respective campuses?

aliantha wrote:I can't remember -- you bake the meringue, right?

*nodding*

The Bob's photo in the galley doesn't really show the color of the merigue all that well, but it is an overall golden brown color on the top layer.

aliantha wrote:I've kind of struggled with this myself, because of those meringue cookies I make. Clearly there's a way to make them so that they stand up to shipping without turning to meringue dust, because you can buy the cookies in the store. The idea still makes me nervous, tho...

The Miss Meringue style cookies? Those must be awesome!

I knew you were asking because of iQ. It just struck me that dlb was responding pretty quick, for a disinterested party.

Menolly wrote:

aliantha wrote:I've kind of struggled with this myself, because of those meringue cookies I make. Clearly there's a way to make them so that they stand up to shipping without turning to meringue dust, because you can buy the cookies in the store. The idea still makes me nervous, tho...

The Miss Meringue style cookies? Those must be awesome!

Why yes, they are, if I do say so myself. They're also extremely easy to make. But kinda fragile. I suppose I could wrap each cookie individually in bubble wrap...or layer 'em in bubble wrap...or pack 'em in egg cartons with bubble wrap... You see where I'm going with this: I should buy stock in a bubble wrap manufacturer before I try to ship the cookies. I'm *sure* I've posted the recipe here, haven't I?

Back to the pie shipping: shipping perishable stuff is bloody expensive, as I discovered when I ordered kolaches on a whim last fall. Yeesh. The shipping cost more than the kolaches. A couple of tanks of gas would be cheaper. Seriously.

As an observer only interested in pie humor, I couldn't help but read this thread. I find myself nervously awaiting the outcome: will Menolly's daring venture into pie shipping be a triumph or a tragedy?

LOL
maybe you'll be my guinea pig, Neo...

Although I'm as keen as anyone for your famed key lime pie, Menolly, I think the only way to send one from where you are to where I am without it spoiling is via Sandgorgon Express.

LOL

I could always have Raucous bring you one...

...sorry, Pantheon reference, and I know you aren't following...