What is the ideal baking temp for pavlovas & how long should I cool them in the oven?

Lucky for your meringues. And most unusual.

I am making pavlovas for 50 + this weekend. I made them a couple of weeks ago when the weather was hot and no humidity. I put them in a 350 oven and then turned it off and left them for 3 hours and produce perfect meranges. (however it is spelled!)

Thank you, Cynthia, for such a detailed explanation! Now that I know the science behind it, hopefully I'll get the pavlovas right the next time! (The last couple of times were both utter disasters!) :(

I tend toward the low end of the heat scale and bake them at no more than 180 degrees. You want to set the outer shell as well a heat the entire thing through so that the eggs are pasteurized without losing their tenderness at the center. Pasteurization of eggs takes place around 140 degrees; at 145 degrees the egg begins to coagulate. Start with baking the pavlovas for about 2 hours. Using an instant-read thermometer, after that time has elapsed, take the temperature at the center of one of them. If you have a reading above 145 degrees, you're ready to shut the oven off. They should take on no more than the palest of golden color, not remotely brown in other words. Leave the door ajar and let the pavlovas gradually cool down until you can pick one up in your hand and feel a neutral temperature, body temp in other words. Depending upon how warm or cool your kitchen is, that may take anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. You can easily prepare the pavlovas a day in advance and store them in an airtight container, separated by layers of baker's parchment, until you want to serve them.

Thank you for your responses!

I love the texture in this recipe, which starts at 350 but immediately drops down to 215 (then cools in the oven for 3-4 hours): http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Pavlova

I bake pavolvas at 200 FOR about 2 1/2 hours. If it starts to brown before it's done I reduce the oven to 175 degrees. The I turn off heat and let meringue cool in oven at least 2 1/2 hours; overnight is ok too.