Whip it Good: Make Perfect French Meringue - Bake from Scratch (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making a good meringue? ›

Beat to soft peaks on medium-high speed. Gradually add the sugar, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until it has all been incorporated. Continue beating until glossy, stiff peaks form. At this point, you can't overbeat the meringue, so keep beating until you've got those glossy, firm peaks!

Over whip the egg whites and you risk making them too firm and they will risk losing the moisture that they hold. This will affect your meringue's crispness, as well as making it more likely to collapse or weep beads of sugar. As my meringue guru Gary Mehigan advises: “If you over whip the egg whites you cannot fix it.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch is an excellent way to foolproof your meringue. Use it to create added fluff and keep your hard-won volume from shrinking. Cream of Tartar: Often added in when making meringues, acidic cream of tartar provides lift and stabilization.

Slow and steady is the fast and hard rule for any meringue. Start slow when whipping the whites for small and stable bubbles, slowly up the tempo so you don't over beat and then slowly add the sugar. This goes for your oven too. We're not cooking, so much as drying out the meringue.

Slowly stream in the sugar after the egg whites have been whipping for about 10 seconds. Add the sugar in thirds: 1/3 when the whites are a very pale yellow (about 10 seconds in), 1/3 when the whites begin to foam, and 1/3 just before the whites reach a soft peak. Add all of the sugar at once.

When do you use the whisk beater versus the flat beater on a stand mixer? The whisk beater is used to aerate mixtures such as egg whites for a meringue; the spade or flat beater to mix things together. Unless otherwise specified in a recipe, it is generally the flat beater that is meant to be used.

If you need your meringue to have stiff peaks, you whisk it until the little peaks stand straight up from the whisk when you lift it out of the bowl, and the meringue doesn't fall out of the bowl when you turn it upside down.

If you add the sugar too quickly then the mixture will never acquire the stiff consistency you want. You also need to be careful if you've used extra ingredients to flavour your meringues. Oils (such as those in nuts or zest) and liquids can stop the egg whites from stiffening, so you have to experiment with amounts.

How do you stabilize French meringue? ›

Besides sugar, there are several other tools that can help in meringue stabilization. I employ three of them in my less-sweet pie meringue: acid, starch, and gelatin. Acid: Adding acid (typically cream of tartar, but can also be vinegar or lemon juice) lowers the pH of the egg whites.

A meringue is done baking when it releases easily when gently lifted from the baking sheet. If it's close, keep checking every 5 to 10 minutes.

It can be made with any sugar. One cup of superfine sugar or packed brown sugar is equal to 1 cup of granulated sugar; 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar equals 1 cup granulated. Superfine sugar may dissolve more readily and produce a smoother glossier meringue, but volume will not be as great.

Step 4: Transfer it to the oven

French meringue has a delicate and airy texture, making it perfect for meringue cookies and pavlovas. Although it's the least stable of the three types of meringue, it's also the easiest to make, so it's a great option for beginners.

The fat from the yolks will prevent - should you wish to whip up your whites for a meringue or something - from whipping up. It's like - well if you get any yolks in your whites you might as well start over.

Acid. Whether it be vinegar, lemon juice, cream of tartar, or a combination, an acid will greatly improve the structure of meringue. Acid not only helps meringue whip up and aerate more quickly, it also keeps it stable. Without acid, meringue is more likely to collapse either during or after mixing.

Fats, water, or dirt may compromise the meringue and prevent it from achieving the fluffy heights you desire. Avoid plastic bowls, which can retain traces of oil. Separate your eggs carefully. Enough yolk will also prevent the egg white proteins from binding together in the way you need.

Meringue is a fluffy mixture that is delicious on its own. It is also used to give mousses, macarons, and some buttercream frostings their light and fluffy textures. If you've never made meringue yourself, you might be surprised to learn that the main ingredients are simply egg whites and sugar!