Internal Temp of Sweet Potato Pie

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nightjar

Assistant Cook
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
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Location
Connecticut
When watching Good Eats on TV I heard Alton Brown mention what the internal temperature of Sweet Potato Pie when it's ready to remove. The Food.com website which has the recipe for it doesn't mention the temp and so far Ihaven't seen any other recipes online that mention this.

I liked the idea of removing it when it's ready (inside) and not just using your eyes to inspect doneness.

Does anyone know what it is, the temperature that is.

Also, is there a chart showing the proper internal temps of meat and other things?

Thanks,

Greg
 
Meat and cooking charts are listing the Terms & Techniques forum.
 
Drat ... I saw that episode a couple of times but didn't write down AB's temps!

AB's sweet potato pie recipe is a dense custard cooked at 350-F in a dry oven for 50-55 minutes ... so I'm going to guess 140-160 F - probably in the 140-150 range.
 
I actually recorded it.

The sad thing is when I found the place on the tape, I left it right at the spot where he's working on the pie. I had to leave and when I came back I found that I had another program recording right over it. Ahhhhh!!!!
 
If memory serves me, when he Alton pulled it out of the oven it was still jiggly (technical term). It looked almost like it was liquid. I am not sure the toothpick trick would work here.
 
As with most things prepared in an oven, the outside heat of the dish and its contents is greater than the inside temperature. If this dish is a custard, like cheesecake, pumpkin pie, etc., it relies on the setting of the egg to give it substance. I don't recall what that temperature is, eggsactly, but it's about 180 degrees. So if you pull your pie out when the internal temp reaches 175, and let it rest, it should firm up as the outer temp soaks into the inner layers.

But if it were me, I'd check with some of our egg experts around here to get a more exact temperature for the egg setting temperatures.

And yes, using a butter-knife or toothpick will give you an accurate indication of when the custard is done, if you don't mind the cracks in the custard top.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
Thank you all

In retrospect, I believe AB did mention of around between 160 and 180 degrees. Anyway, I'm planning to inflict it on my family soon.

Thanks again

Greg
 
Can't tell you how long I cook either white or sweet potatoes, but I can tell you I cook them a lot longer than most people do.

I grew up eating mealy baked white taters and thought they were OK as long as I added a whole lot of sour cream and butter.

Then I was reading one of James Beard's books, I think it was Theory and Practice, but am too lazy to check, and realized that spuds might be better cooked a bit longer than most folks do.

Now I love baked potatoes. I cook them until they are a bit 'squishy', at which point the starch has converted into sugar and they are sweet and delightful.

How long? Over an hour and I can't tell you when I stop.

I roast sweet taters the same way.

It was something I had to relearn from my younger days when I would toss a spud into the embers and let it cook.

Had no butter but the potatoes were so sweet we did not care.

Just a thought.
 
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I don't use a toothpick, but insert a knife edge into the center of the pie; if it comes out clean, it's done; this works, even if the pie is still a little 'jiggly'.
 
James Beard

I certainly appreciate, as you do, James Beard. My mom lived with his and Julia Child's books by her stove. They were such brilliant pioneers.

Thanks

Greg
 
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