How Long You Should Be Letting Quiche Cool

Despite its French-sounding name, quiche actually originated in Germany, and got its name from the word "Kuchen," which translates to "cake," per Atelier Monnier. When the French got ahold of the recipe and made some changes, they reportedly dubbed it "quiche Lorraine." Though there are many different versions of quiche today, and seemingly endless filling options, the base recipe consists of an open pie crust filled with eggs, cream custard, and meat.

In the years following World War II, quiche found popularity in England, reports Atelier Monnier, after British troops returned home with the knowledge of the dish they had enjoyed in France. By the 1950s, it had made its way to the United States, where it quickly gained steam.

When baking a quiche at home, it can be tempting to dig right in and serve yourself a slice once the quiche is out of the oven. But it is important to allow the quiche time to cool. In fact, it is actually part of the process.

Allowing your quiche to cool after baking will not just prevent you from burning your mouth with that oven-hot first bite, but it will also allow the custardy filling adequate time to set up. Chef Andrew Zimmerman told Real Simple that quiche should be allowed to cool completely — he even recommends baking it the day before you plan to eat it, then heating up individual slices when it is time to serve them.

If you don't have time to pre-bake your quiche the day before, Zimmerman says allowing it to refrigerate for a few hours will get the job done just as well. Just be careful to keep it in the fridge as leaving it on the counter could create bacteria growth due to the quiche's dairy and egg-based filling. According to the FDA, you should never leave egg-based dishes out on the counter for over two hours — and if it's especially hot, they should be refrigerated before then.

Kitchen Seer also advises against eating quiche fresh out of the over, saying the dish should be cooled for 20 minutes and refrigerated before consumption.

Craving quiche? Check out this recipe for asparagus, bacon, and spring onion quiche.