Pumpkin Pie gone wrong

[ChefWannabeMark]

I cooked a pumpkin pie the other day (from scratch). Not too long into cooking, the pie started to boil over. As it continued to cook it continued to boil, and ended up burning on top. The top is black and the rest is a very dark brown. Though it looks burnt it is still the right texture and doesn't taste burnt. Also the crust is perfect and not burnt.

I did everything exactly the same as i always have, and i was just wondering if anyone could help pinpoint what went wrong with the pie. Its really been bugging me the last few days trying to think of what it could be. So hopefully someone can help me out here. Thanks

 

[jabbur]

I've never had one boil. I've had them rise pretty high then settle back down during cooling. Not sure what the problem would be. I'll be interested to hear from others.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Did it boil out of the pan? It does rise and settle one cooled.

 

[Andy M.]

Hi Mark. Welcome aboard.

Please post the recipe and, if possible, a picture so we can figure it out.

It's not unusual for a pumpkin pie to puff up during cooking and settle back down. The blackening is a problem.

How sure are you that the oven temp is accurate?

 

[mollyanne]

Are you sure you didn't get distracted and add a little too much liquid than the recipe calls for? That's what it sounds like to me.

 

[4meandthem]

I was gonna suggest turning it down 25 degrees.

 

[bakechef]

I find that many pumpkin pie recipes have just a little more filling than a 9 inch deep dish pie can handle, so there is usually a little left over.

As others have suggested, find out if your oven temp is correct and cook in the middle of your oven, in many ovens, things seem to brown quicker on the higher racks.

 

[Selkie]

I agree with Mollyanne and Bakechef: Perhaps too much liquid (canned milk), oven temp too high and/or not cooking on your lower rack.

There are two goals in baking a pumpkin pie. 1.) to brown and make a flaky crust. 2.) to cook the eggs until they become firm and bind together the filling, without burning the top.

If you're burning the top of the filling before it is set, then lowering the temperature and increasing your baking time may be necessary.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Summing up what the others have stated as it sound very reasonable.

1. Too much liquid in the batter (allows it to boil over)
2. Cooking on the top rack (top of the oven, when heated, acts as a radiant (infra-red) heat source and can blacken the top of your pie)
3. Oven temperature is too high (the custard will overcook on top).

Question, was the top, exposed area of the crust blacken as well? If so, then the oven was too hot. If not, then the pie needs to be place in the middle of the oven to insure even cooking.

I can't add anything to what's already been said.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[joesfolk]

Did you cook the pumpkin from scratch? When you boil pumpkin it absorbs a lot of water. I find I have to drain it overnight if I boil it to get rid of most of the excess water. This may have been part of the problem if you made the pie from whole pumpkins. These days I steam the pumpkins or bake them. No more water problems.