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Meringue: General Meringue Tips




Source of Recipe


AEB


1. Although egg white does not readily support bacterial growth – especially when a great deal of sugar is present, it is possible for Salmonella to be in either the white or yolk of an egg. Many meringue-based desserts require refrigeration to maintain their character, a safety factor, and these dishes may be considered low risk for healthy people. However, for full safety, it’s best to cook both yolks and whites in all recipes.
2. You can use a method similar to that used for Seven-Minute Frosting to update old recipes calling for raw or very lightly cooked egg whites or meringues, such as Royal Icing, mousses, chiffon pies, sweet soufflés and ice box cakes and for Baked Alaska and similar dishes that are only very briefly baked. Use this method with any number of egg whites.
3. To cook egg whites: In heavy saucepan, top of double boiler or metal bowl placed over water in a saucepan, stir together the egg whites and sugar from the recipe (at least 2 tablespoons per white), water (1 teaspoon per white) and cream of tartar (1/8 teaspoon per each 2 whites). Cook over low heat or simmering water, beating constantly with portable mixer at low speed, until the whites reach 160° F. Pour into large mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until the whites stand in soft peaks. Proceed with the recipe.
4. Note that sugar must be used or the whites will coagulate too rapidly and produce an unsatisfactory end product and a thermometer must be employed as there is no visual clue to doneness. If using an unlined aluminum saucepan, eliminate the cream of tartar as it will react with the aluminum to produce an unattractive gray meringue.
5. The recipe for Soft (Pie) Meringue here was tested in a scientific lab. After baking as directed, all injected bacteria perished. Since it is not possible to lab test every conceivable meringue recipe, all other recipes should be cooked until the whites reach 160° F.
6. Italian meringue, also called Boiled Frosting, is made by beating a hot sugar syrup into egg whites and is used, as is, as a cake frosting or topping like soft meringue; folded into whipped cream (Chantilly Meringue) for use as a frosting or combined with fruit as a cream puff filling; or baked or poached as other forms of meringue. In most cases, however, neither using warmed sugar nor using a sugar syrup to make an Italian Meringue is a suitable substitute for the fully cooked method. No matter how hot the sugar, it’s the egg whites that must reach 160° F for total destruction of any potential bacteria to occur. By the time a very hot sugar syrup is fully incorporated into beaten whites, the whites seldom reach much over 125° F and recipes that are not further cooked cannot be considered completely safe. If, however, the sugar syrup is brought all the way to the hardball stage – 250 to 266° F, the whites will reach sufficient temperature. Use a sugar syrup at hardball stage for Divinity and similar recipes.
7. The most critical factor in making a successful meringue is humidity. Make it on a dry day. Since sugar is hygroscopic (moisture-absorbing), meringues made on a humid day can become limp and sticky.
8. Use a mixing bowl large enough to hold the expanding whites which will increase in volume 6 to 8 times, but not so large that the whites are spread too thin and wide in the bowl. The bowl should be deep enough for the beaters to be in contact with as much of the whites as possible. For proper aeration, a small mixing bowl is best for up to 3 whites, a large mixing bowl for 4 or more.
9. In making meringues, separate eggs, choose beating equipment and add acid to the whites and salt to other ingredients as you would for soufflés. Savory Soufflé Tips.
10. For optimum volume and faster beating, add sugar between the beginnings of foam formation and soft peak formation. Adding some or all of the sugar before beating will decrease volume.
11. The recipes here are written for regular granulated sugar but you can use any size of sugar crystal as well as brown sugar. When substituting, 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar or 1 cup superfine sugar both equal 1 cup granulated sugar, while 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar equals 1 cup granulated. Light brown sugar is simply half dark brown and half granulated sugar.
12. While finer sugars may dissolve more readily and more quickly and will produce a smoother, glossier meringue than coarser sugars, they will also produce one of less volume. Finer sugars must still be added slowly and the meringue mixture beaten to the proper stage. Be very cautious when adding very fine sugars. They have a tendency to float in the air and it’s easy to end up with more sugar on the chef than in the meringue. Confectioners’ sugar contains cornstarch and may produce a slightly drier meringue.
13. With the exception of corn syrups, you can also use syrups and honey which will impart their own flavors and colors to the meringue. Use about 1 tablespoon per egg white and expect to beat longer and to obtain a greater volume than with a sugar-sweetened meringue. Due to the added moisture of the syrup, though, the meringue will be slightly more frothy and will have a greater tendency to leak.
14. Using a portable or stand mixer at high speed, or a rotary beater or balloon whisk and lots of elbow grease, beat the whites with the cream of tartar just till foamy. Then, gradually add the sugar, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, and beat until soft or stiff peaks form. Lift the beater/s or whisk to test. When the whites turn glossy and their tips curl over slightly, they’re at the soft peak stage; when the peaks stand tall without bending, they’re at the stiff peak stage. For a smooth, rather than gritty, meringue, test to see that the sugar has dissolved by rubbing a bit of the meringue between your fingers. Undissolved sugar can cause sugar spots on the surface of the meringue.
15. With the amount of added sugar, the beating for meringues takes longer than for unsweetened whites. Using a mixer is much easier for those of average arm strength and endurance. Neither a blender nor a food processor will aerate the whites properly.