madnad
1 Basic Recipes
2 Basic Kit
3 Tips & Tricks

When people say meringue, they may not realise it but they are usually referring to French Meringue – a mixture of stiffened egg whites and sugar. Though there are a few different types of meringue, they all start off by beating egg whites until they are light, fluffy and have doubled in volume. You can do this with a balloon whisk, and if you do, I take my hat off to you and your immense arm strength. You will find it much easier with an electric hand whisk, or a stand mixer.

But how does snotty-looking egg white turn into a light fluffy cloud? Egg white is 10% protein. Beating the egg whites changes the structure of the proteins, then adding sugar stabilises this new formation. There is a danger of over beating egg whites, which can cause the mixture to go flat. Since adding sugar at the beginning of the beating process prevents the new structure from forming, instead, add a little acid in the form of vinegar or cream of tartar. Once you have your egg whites doubled in size and stable, then you can add the sugar. Once formed and baked, your meringue can still be a fragile thing. Sugar attracts moisture out of the atmosphere, so it has to be stored in an air-tight container. Making meringue in a high-humidity environment is decidedly tricky. Italian and Swiss Meringues are much more stable than the French Meringue. They are heated just enough to denature the proteins, the Swiss over a bain-marie and the Italian through hot syrup being poured in. In doing this the meringues don’t weep. They can be made in advance, covered then stored in the fridge.

A lot of people don’t recognise a difference between Italian and Swiss meringue but there are several. They are prepared differently, and also, Italian Meringue is often used uncooked (as the egg whites are safely cooked by the hot sugar), where as Swiss meringue is generally baked.

Basic Recipes

Basic Kit

  • Balloon Whisk – an essential tool for adding air and volume to your whipped egg whites
  • Electric Hand Whisk – does exactly the same as a balloon whisk, but easier on the elbow grease
  • Piping bags – a large piping bag is just the thing to create meringue nests etc

Tips & Tricks

  • Use at least 55g sugar per egg white
  • Do not use a plastic bowl – metal or glass works much better, but copper is the best
  • Ensure your bowl is dry and completely grease free, and without any trace of yolk or it wont set
  • You will get more volume from your egg whites if they are at room temperature, but eggs separate easier from the fridge so bring the whites to room temperature after separating.
  • Add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar per egg white to the unbeaten eggs
  • Soft peak – if the tip of the peak curls over when the beater is lifted
  • Stiff peak – continue beating after soft peak stage until the peaks remain straight when the beater is lifted
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