Soft Meringues: are made with 2 tbsp of sugar for each egg white. Topping the fillings while they are still hot and baking the pie at 375 F (190 C) until the meringues reach a light colour yield a stable meringue and reduce the amount of liquid (called leakage) collecting under the meringue and the tendency to the meringue to slip from the surface of the pie.
Hard Meringues: have a much higher proportion of sugar to the egg white. As much as 1/4 cup of sugar per egg white may be used. Since sugar retards the denaturalisation of the egg proteins, a longer whipping time is necessary. Hard meringue can be shaped into such subjects such as baskets, hearts, pie, shells or animal figures. The baking temperature is very long (1 1/2 hrs) and very low (275 F or 135 C)