Recipe Talk

Every darn time I make a meringue topping for a pie, by the time I get it out of the fridge, it has separated from the crust and gets kind of watery. I don't know why this happens because I follow the directions in the recipe. Usually, I have to put the pie in the oven for just a bit in order to brown the meringue. Anyone have any ideas/hints??

Thanks.

Beat Egg Whites

RAW EGG WARNING
The American Egg Board states: There have been warnings against consuming raw or lightly cooked eggs on the grounds that the egg may be contaminated with Salmonella, a bacteria responsible for a type of foodborne illness. About safe egg whites.
Beaten or whipped egg whites are whipped to different stages, such as soft, firm or stiff and are used in many baking recipes. If used for leavening, after beating they are usually folded into other ingredients such as in Soufflés, Angel food or Chiffon cakes Ladyfingers and others. Candies and icings include whipped egg whites in their recipes to inhibit crystals from forming.
Meringues are made from beaten egg whites where sugar is added during the process and made into Meringue cookies or desserts by baking. The Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe uses meringue that is cooked on the stovetop before putting on the pie which helps to prevent weeping, also described as water in the pie!

HOW TO: (Note: every recipe will vary) Get room temperature whites

Beat with an electric mixer

Beat by hand, with a whisk

Fold in the egg whites

Make meringue

Use a copper bowl

All about SAFE eggs:

How to find and use pasteurized powdered egg whites.

I find it especially maddening when I find water in the bottom of my delicious lemon meringue pie after storing. The problem is called "weeping" and I have a solution.
Q: How much egg white foam do you get when beaten? A: You get 6 to 8 times in volume if the egg whites have been at room temperature for 30 minutes before beating. FYI: Egg whites should be separated when cold and whipped when at room temperature. Egg whites will beat when cold, but it has to be done longer, while at room temperature they beat faster with a great increase in volume, giving a finer texture

Fresh Apricot Soufflé
Cheese Soufflé
Chocolate Fondants - cross between a chocolate mousse & a soufflé
Frozen Citrus Soufflé
Godiva Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflé
Orange Glow Chiffon Cake
Divinity Candy
Angel Food Cake, Basic - with chocolate variation
Angel Food Cake, Double Chocolate
Angel Food Cake, Lemon - with a lemon glaze
HOW BEATEN EGG WHITES WORK: When you whip egg whites (albumen), you are really stretching the protein in them. As a result, they unwind and join together loosely, making them unstable. The liquid albumen forms elastic films around the air bubbles beaten into them and essentially trap them, which you can see as a foam.

When the foam is heated, the trapped, tiny air cells expand from the heat of the oven and/or carbon dioxide released from baking soda or baking powder, if used, causing a batter to rise. During baking, the egg protein coagulates around them, giving permanence to the foam.

Egg whites have a great ability to expand and give volume. However, with the same weight of egg yolk, they are less elastic than the egg whites.
Sometimes whipped egg whites are the sole source of leavening in a recipe and is responsible for the structure of soufflés, angel food cake, puffy omelets and meringue.

EGG WHITE TIPS: (How to separate eggs) Properly beaten eggs whites are fluffy and you can even hear the air bubbles popping in them (that's why its good to use them right away in a recipe so they don't get a chance to deflate). Room temperature egg whites whip best, which is done with a mixer or by hand with a wire balloon whisk.

Whipping egg whites are much like blowing air into a balloon -- you can do it right and get a fully blown balloon, or do it too much, causing it to pop. If either occurs, you won't get a good volume and thus, they won't rise significantly in the mixing bowl. The whipped egg whites will also have a thick and grainy texture. Unfortunately, if it happens, you have to start again with a new batch of room temperature egg whites.

What to do with overbeaten egg whites: sometimes they can be rescued by adding an extra egg white and beating again. Stop when the egg white is just beaten. An extra one will not disturb your recipe proportions. But, it doesn't always work!

Beaten Egg White Terms:

Beading - meringue is overbaked, foam shrinks
Weeping - fluid between filling and meringue because protein in egg whites not denatured (coagulated)
Custards - proteins of eggs provide almost all of the thickening. Milk protein adds a little viscosity, but provides mineral slats needed for coagulation of egg protein. The more milk and sugar added the higher the coagulation temperature
Stirred custard - heated and stirred which prevents gel formation
Baked custard - no agitation, allows enough coagulation to form a gel. If overcooked protein shrinkage causes syneresis - weeping.

FACTORS AFFECTING GETTING PERFECTLY WHIPPED EGG WHITES: ~ Egg whites can be temperamental during whipping and you need the right touch, ingredients and tools -- even the right weather ! ~

Fat A trace of fat in the egg whites will greatly reduce their volume when whipped. Crack and separate the eggs, placing the whites in the clean, dry bowl. Do not have a trace of egg yolk remaining, as it contains fat. To get the yolk out, I use the corner of a paper towel or a piece of broken egg shell to sop it up or I start over again with a fresh batch of whites.
Also, make sure the egg beaters, bowl, and spatula are free of grease. To make sure, wipe the clean implements with lemon juice or white wine vinegar, rinse both in warm water, and then dry. Don't use plastic containers because they tend to absorb and retain fat even if washed.

Weather & Temperature To get the highest egg whites, whip room temperature egg whites, not cold ones; it's because the egg's protein is more elastic and will create more tiny air bubbles. Also, the colder their temperature, the longer the beating time will be. If it is humid or raining outside, sometimes you won't get the proper volume no matter what you do.
Ways to Get Room Temperature Eggs: I first separate my eggs when they are cold, because the yolks do not break as easily. If you have one speck of egg yolk or fat in them, they won't whip as high. I then warm the whites before whipping.

You can freeze egg whites. They should be thawed in the refrigerator and used quickly once they are thawed for meringues, foam cakes, etc. They whip more easily and to a greater volume than fresh egg whites, because their surface tension is reduced through freezing and thawing, giving them greater foaming power.

Acid (Cream of Tartar, Lemon Juice & Vinegar) Cream of Tartar, a mildly acid salt made from grapes and containing tartic acid. It keeps the foam supple and elastic, but stable, so it can expand to its fullest when baked. Cream of tartar isn't easily found in all parts of the country--so you can substitute it. For each 1 to 2 whites, add: 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar or freshly squeezed lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon distilled white wine vinegar.

Adding a small amount of acid, such as cream of tartar, lemon juice or vinegar, stabilizes egg whites and allows them to reach their full volume and stiffness. It does this by making the egg coagulate faster. For example, angelfood cake egg white foam has lemon juice or cream of tartar added as a stabilizer. The natural acid on the surface of a copper bowl achieves the same result, so don't add ANY acidic ungredient when using.

An acid is added at the beginning of beating, during Step #2, below, when the whites are just beginning to become frothy. As a rule of thumb, use 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar per egg white or 1 teaspoon per cup of large egg whites (8 to 10). For meringues, use 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar for each 2 egg whites. There is no exact substitute, but in general, 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar = 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can add a pinch of salt for every 1 to 2 egg whites instead, but it has a lesser stabilizing effect.

Acids and ingredients are described whether it is acidic, basic, or neutral by using a scale called the pH. Foams tend to build better with a lower pH (lower number), producing a finer grained cake, but it has been found that cream of tartar works the best. It also whitens the egg white foam.

Lemon juice 2.4 pH (most acidic)
Vinegar 2.8 pH
Cream of tartar 3.0 to 4.0 pH - works the best
Milk 6.8 pH
Water 7.0 pH (Neutral)
Egg white protein 7.6 - 7.9 pH
Baking soda 9.0 pH (least acidic)

Salt Salt enhances flavors and is added even for sweet soufflés. It also helps to make the whites beat more easily, but some feel decreases the foam's stability. Some bakers recommend adding it with the raw egg whites at the beginning of whipping while others say to add it along with other dry ingredients, or to the yolks, if possible. I add salt at the beginning. If not, follow Step #2, below.
Sugar Egg whites beaten without sugar will not peak as firmly as those with sugar.
Sugar also serves as a whipping aid to stabilize beaten egg foams, which are essentially a delicate protein network. Sugar pulls the water from the structure and allows it to set better. Meringue made from beaten egg whites and sugar, can sit longer and hold their shape than foams without sugar. If a whipped egg white recipe does not include sugar, and the egg whites will eventually be folded into a base, I recommend adding in a couple of tablespoons of white sugar, taken from the recipe; a small amount will stabilize the whipped whites.

In foam-type cakes, sugar interacts with egg proteins to stabilize the whipped foam structure. Sugar makes the egg foam more elastic so that air- cells call expand and take up gases from the leavening agent. Sugar stabilizes the batter and also delays the evaporation of water from the egg white foam in the oven. This is good because it allows its protein structure ample time to rise and then set.

It is very important to be aware of when you add the sugar to the egg whites. If adding in a 1/4 cup or less of sugar, add at the "raw egg white stage". Otherwise, begin to slowly add it in the "soft peak stage". In either case, always add sugar in a stream, slowly at the side of the bowl while the whites are being whipped; do not dump it in the center -- you don't want to risk deflating the whites.

Water Can aid in the increase of the volume of egg white foam, but too much can decrease its stability.
Copper and Mixing Bowls (MORE) When whipping egg whites, use either a deep copper or stainless steel bowls with straight sides. The mixing bowl to my stand mixer is perfect whether whipping with a stand or hand-held mixer.
The composition of the bowl in which you beat egg whites can make a big difference. A copper bowl reacts chemically with egg whites to form fluffy, high-rise whites - it contains an ion which reacts with an egg white protein, specifically conalbumin, to form a more stable foam and helps the whites retain moisture. The same result can be obtained using stainless steel or glass bowls with the addition of cream of tartar. However, I don't use a glass bowl because I have found that when using it, its naturally slick surface doesn't give much traction for the egg whites to climb the bowl.

Avoid plastic or wooden bowls because of their naturally porous surface which attracts grease because of its porous surface; grease or fat deflates egg whites. Never use aluminum which reacts with the egg whites causing them to turn slightly gray. If beating by hand, the mixing bowl should be 9 to 10 inches in diameter and 5 to 6 inches deep,

Beaters Which one - A hand-held electric mixer or a stand mixer ? (Never use a blender.) Beaters can make a difference in volume depending upon the number of egg whites beaten at one time. (Small amounts 4 large egg whites; large amounts 5 or more). Some classicists use a large balloon whisk and a copper bowl, when beating by hand for small and large amounts. I prefer to use a hand-held electric mixer only for beating small amounts. With it, I can move the beaters to reach all of the foam which gives me the best possible volume. When I have large amounts of egg whites to beat, I use my stand mixer because I need more power. The only problem with it is the beaters do not quite reach the bottom of the bowl, a bigger problem whipping a small amount of egg whites.
Degree of Beating When whipping egg whites, always start your mixer on medium-low to medium speed. Beat them until foamy and increase the speed to medium-high and then to high. This is a very important and underestimated step in the process. If the egg whites are beaten too quickly at the beginning, the structure of the foam will not be as strong, and later the egg whites will not beat as high as they should. If egg whites are overbeaten, they can separate or weep.
Manipulation Beating, stirring and jarring can break down the foam. When you fold them in, use a gentle touch.
Heat Heat is an egg protein's enemy. As an egg fries, its proteins, which are made of chains of molecules called amino acids precisely folded into spirals, loops and sheets, begin to loose their shape. Sticky bits from the interior of the protein get exposed, and adhere to each other, forming disordered globs, or aggregates (this is why egg whites change from a clear liquid-like state to a white solid). In the body, heat stress or too much can do the same thing to proteins, making them dysfunctional.
Preheating the oven, using an oven thermometer and placing egg-white leavened recipes in the lower third of the oven, encourages rising.

Baking Pans Size and shape of pans are crucial; they should allow for the proper expansion of the egg whites during baking. Angel food cakes are best baked in an ungreased tube pan with straight sides. That's so the whites can rise during baking. Because an angel food cake does not have a strong gluten structure or chemical leavening, it needs the pan sides to virtually cling to while baking. If greased, the egg whites would slip downwards, causing a flat cake.
Time Use your whites immediately upon beating them. If they sit for more than 5 minutes, they start to deflate, so whip again by hand with a whisk, if they do. They will keep a bit longer if the foam contains sugar or an acid, such as cream of tartar.
Rubber Spatula A large rubber spatula is great for folding ingredients together.

HOW TO BEAT EGG WHITES & SUGAR WITH A MIXER



STEP #1: Raw
STEP #2: Frothy
STEP #3: Soft peak
STEP #4: Firm peak
STEP #5: Stiff peak

INTRODUCTION:

Egg whites can go through five stages when beaten depending upon the end result needed. Do NOT stop the mixer in between any of them; keep going until you reach your final stage because beaten egg whites deflate when they sit. Beaten egg whites or meringue are usually folded into other ingredients.

Sugar is often added and it is then called a meringue. Sugar stabilizes them so they can be shaped and baked or folded into an Angel Food Cake Recipe. Follow your recipe's instructions when adding sugar to the egg white foam, but just in case, I have information below.

Do not overbeat the egg whites; if they are beaten too stiff, there is no more stretch left for them to rise when baked -- some or will pop during the whipping stage and will collapse.

Do not underbeat the egg whites. If not beaten enough, they can't hold the amount of air necessary for a lift. Both result in a flat recipe, such as a cake.

STEP #1: RAW EGG WHITES
It's important to read through the "Factors Affecting Getting Perfectly Beaten Egg Whites". Some highlights are: make sure you use room temperature egg whites with no yolk or visible shells floating in them. Start with a grease-free bowl and beaters. Use a stand mixer when you have a large amount of whites to beat; use a hand-held electric mixer when beating a small amount.
MEDIUM-LOW TO MEDIUM MIXER SPEED: This beginning step is one of the most overlooked and important steps. A slower mixer speed will not deflate the early stages of the foam; if you do, it will never whip to its fullest ! (NOTE: If using a 1/4 cup or less, all of the sugar can added here. For larger amounts, wait until the soft peak stage). Salt or cream of tartar is added at this stage or in Step #2.

STEP #2: FROTHY OR FOAMY
MEDIUM-LOW TO MEDIUM MIXER SPEED: The egg white foam looks cloudy. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high. Salt or cream of tartar is added at this stage if not added in Step #2.
STEP #3: SOFT PEAK STAGE - The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites droop slightly, when the beater is turned off and lifted. Do not continue beating past this stage as the whites will become dry. However, if going to the firm peak stage, the mixer speed should be increased to high.

MEDIUM-HIGH MIXER SPEED: Add sugar here if you are going to stop at this stage. If not, proceed to Step #4.
If adding sugar, do so a little at a time, which takes 4 - 5 minutes or in a steady stream at the edge of the bowl, which is what I do.

If necessary, whip until the foam is white and opaque and begins to hold a soft peak, taking another 2 or 3 minutes.

If adding extracts, quickly and evenly sprinkle over the meringue when it has almost formed either soft, firm or stiff peaks with the mixer is still running.

Egg whites with sugar added: When the egg whites are to be folded into a cake or sweet soufflé batter, you are usually directed to sprinkle in sugar after the whites have formed soft peaks, and you continue to the stiff shining-peak stage. Sugar stabilizes the egg whites and also makes for a stiffer texture. For a soft or ordinary meringue, some bakers add half of the sugar here. With a spatula, they fold in the remaining sugar, a little at a time, until the whites are properly mixed.

STEP #4: FIRM PEAK STAGE The egg white foam will become smooth, moist and shiny. Stop the beaters and then lift them -- straight peaks should form.
Add your sugar here if only beating to firm peaks or if beating to stiff peaks.
HIGH MIXER SPEED: For a stiff meringue, add the sugar at this stage, a little at a time -- about 1 to 2 tablespoons, if you have the time -- or, add in a steady stream at the side of the mixing bowl to prevent the foam from deflating.
If going to the stiff peak stage, mixer speed should remain on high.

If adding extracts, quickly and evenly sprinkle over the meringue when it has almost formed either soft, firm or stiff peaks with the mixer is still running.

STEP #5: STIFF PEAK STAGE Beat until the egg whites are very stiff and glossy.
Stiff meringue can be made when sugar is added here.

If beating to stiff peaks, add sugar during Step #4.
HIGH MIXER SPEED: If the recipe calls for whipped egg whites with stiff peaks, you will first go through Steps #3 & 4, above, and then this step. Beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. To check, stop the beaters and lift them.
If egg whites are beaten to dry and dull, they are overbeaten -- Watch carefully, because egg whites can go from stiff to dry and overbeaten in as little as 30 seconds.

If adding extracts, quickly and evenly sprinkle over the meringue when it has almost formed either soft, firm or stiff peaks with the mixer is still running.

HOW TO BEAT EGG WHITES BY HAND

For 2 to 8 egg whites: Get a clean, dry balloon whip and a clean, dry round-bottomed bowl of unlined copper or stainless steel. The bowl should be 9 to 10 inches in diameter and 5 to 6 inches deep, and the whip 5 to 6 inches in diameter. To help keep the bowl stable, either place it on a wet pot holder or set it in a heavy pot or casserole.

Some cakes, such as many of the Flourless Chocolate Cake recipes, which depend on many beaten egg whites, will often rise in the oven then fall a bit as they cool.
Place the egg whites in the bowl, letting them sit for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature if they have just come from the refrigerator. Start beating at a speed of 2 strokes per second with a vertical, circular motion for 20 to 30 seconds, until the egg whites have begun to foam. Then, for 4 egg whites, add a pinch of salt. If you are not using unlined copper, add also a scant 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar for the 4 egg whites.

Using your lower-arm and wrist muscles for beating -- shoulder muscles tire quickly -- gradually increase the beating speed to 4 strokes per second, beating as much air as possible into the mixture, and circulating the bowl so all the egg whites are entering into the action.

Start testing as soon as the whites seem to be stiff by gathering a dollop in the wires of the whip and holding it upright. If peaks are formed, you have achieved "stiffly beaten egg whites." If not, beat a few seconds more and test again. When you arrive at the right consistency, the egg whites should be folded almost immediately into your recipe, such as in the Godiva Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflé.

ARE COPPER BOWLS really better for whipping egg whites? Answer: Yes, the type of bowl matters! NOTE: Do not use cream of tartar when beating in a copper bowl. However, when glass or metal bowls are used, cream of tartar can be added to the egg whites to stabilize them.
The bowl you use makes a difference when you are whipping egg whites. Cookbook author Madeleine Kamman says you shouldn't bother whipping egg whites by hand unless you have a copper bowl. (And if you do, scour it with a mixture of 1/4-cup vinegar and a tablespoon of salt, rinse it, and dry it thoroughly with paper towels before adding the eggs. Then omit adding any salt.)

Copper bowls produce a yellowish, creamy foam that is harder to overbeat that the foam produced using glass or stainless steel bowls. When you whisk egg whites in a copper bowl, some copper ions migrate from the bowl into the egg whites. The copper ions form a yellow complex with one of the proteins in eggs, conalbumin. The conalbumin-copper complex is more stable than the conalbumin alone, so egg whites whipped in a copper bowl are less likely to denature (unfold).

When air is whisked into egg whites, the mechanical action denatures the proteins in the whites. The denatured proteins coagulate, stiffening the foam and stabilizing the air bubbles. If the foam is overbeaten in a non-copper bowl, eventually the proteins become completely denatured and coagulate into clumps. There is no going back from the clumpy mess to nice foamy whites, so overbeaten whites are usually discarded.

If a copper bowl is used, then fewer protein molecules are free to denature and coagulate, because some are tied up in conalbumin-copper complexes. In addition to forming complexes with conalbumin, the copper may also react with sulfur-containing groups on other proteins, further stabilizing the egg proteins. Although the iron and zinc found in other metal bowls also form complexes with conalbumin, these complexes don't make the foam more stable. from about.com

wwww.baking911.com

When you get an answer let me know because i thought I was the only one that had problems.........lol. I told my husband I am a good cook and you go to some of theses restarants and they have awesome looking meringue I made one last night for my mother in laws birthday and the meringue seperated........have you ever tryed meringue crystals......i havent tryed it but im thinking about it