You'll notice them start to foam and eventually turn white and then cloud-like. You'll know you've made it to the soft peak stage when you turn over your beater or use a spatula to dip in and then lift it upright to see the tips of the whites curling a bit. They'll definitely be a peak shape, but will flop over and go back into the mixture after a few seconds. There you have it! Even if your recipe requires you to continue beating your eggs to stiff peaks , you'll usually have to stop at the soft peak stage before you start adding sugar to your recipe.
Now that you know how to beat egg whites to soft peaks, give the technique a try with a strawberry-mango pavlova , cocoa-hazelnut macarons , or coconut meringue cheesecake.
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. Save Pin FB More. Credit: Peter Krumhardt. Credit: Kritsada Panichgul. Recipes often call for adding cream of tartar before beating whites to stiff peaks.
When sugar is beaten into an egg-white foam, it dissolves in the protein film on the surface of the air bubbles. This sugary syrup film prevents the proteins from drying out and tightening up too fast.
Once you add sugar, you can beat the egg whites without worrying too much about their getting lumpy or overbeaten. But at the same time, sugar dramatically increases the beating time required to get good volume. Pastry chefs deal with this double-edged sword in different ways: some chefs add sugar to the whites in the beginning, turn the mixer on, and walk away, but most prefer to get some volume and structure in the whites first, and then start adding the sugar.
When you beat sugar into egg whites, the sugar draws the water out of the whites. Then, when the meringue is heated either in the oven or by pouring in a boiling sugar syrup , the heat evaporates the water from the sugar-syrup-encased air bubbles, and you end up with delicate, sugar-crusted bubbles.
The more sugar there is in a meringue, the more water can be drawn out and evaporated, and the drier and stiffer the meringue will be. In general, hard meringues require 4-tablespoons of sugar per large egg white. For soft meringues, the traditional formula is 2 Tbs. Weeping is caused by undercooking. It helps to pile the meringue on a piping-hot pie filling rather than on a chilled one. The combination of crumbs and hot filling can give you an incredibly dry seal between the meringue and the filling.
Lowering the oven temperature and increasing the cooking time can help with weeping, too. Food reaches higher temperatures in the center when cooked at lower temperatures for a longer time. Beading is caused by overcooking. The proteins tighten and squeeze out water droplets, which brown because of the sugar they contain.
Try lowering the temperature or decreasing the baking time, or both together, to solve a beading problem. You can actually undercook and overcook the meringue at the same time and have both weeping and beading occur. Condition of the eggs Room-temperature whites whip faster than cold whites.
Old egg whites whip faster, and to a slightly greater volume, but fresh whites make a more stable foam that holds up better during cooking. Pure whites Fats destroy eggwhite foams, and egg yolks and olive oil are two of the most destructive. One tiny smidge of yolk in the whites, or of grease on the beaters or bowl, can give you a thick, gray mess rather than a light, stable foam.
Type of sugar For soft meringues, superfine sugar also called bar or castor sugar is preferable because it dissolves faster. Type of bowl A copper bowl is best, a plastic bowl is worst. Beating whites in a copper bowl seems to help increase the volume during baking.
Avoid plastic, which is difficult to rid of trace amounts of fat. Type of whisk For hand beating, use a balloon whisk with many tines—more tines incorporate more air faster. For an electric hand mixer, be sure to move the beaters around in the bowl. How long to beat Beat the whites first to soft peaks. Then add the sugar, gradually while beating, and beat until the whites are firm enough to hold detailed swirls. Room temperature eggs will whip easier, although cold eggs are easier to separate from the yolks.
For the best results, separate your eggs while they are still cold then allow the whites to come to room temperature before whipping. If there is any amount of yolk in the whites, they will not whip. Begin whipping your egg whites on low speed until they become foamy and frothy. Once the egg whites are foamy, increase the speed to high until they become whipped to the desired stage. Though whipping with an electric mixer is preferred by many cooks, you can also use a large balloon whisk.
When doing it by hand, beat quickly in a big circular motion to add as much air as possible. As you continue to whip, the egg whites will reach various stages, starting out foamy, then with soft peaks, and finally firm peaks. You want to stop according to the directions in your recipe. It is possible to over-beat egg whites as well, which means you need to start over. Other ingredients are often added to beaten egg whites, either to add flavor or to help the stability and increase volume.
A pinch of salt or cream of tartar added for every 2 to 4 egg whites prior to beating will help stabilize the protein matrix and increase the volume. This is especially helpful with older eggs, which may have become slightly alkaline. Sugar is often added to egg whites when making meringues and other desserts. It is important to add the sugar correctly to preserve the integrity of the foam. Sugar must be added gradually to prevent collapse, so begin with a small amount once the egg whites are foamy, and continue to add it gradually as you beat.
The sugar will cause the egg whites to take on a glossy appearance. Whipped egg whites should be used immediately as they may lose volume or weep moisture as they sit.
0コメント