PLEASE HELP..whipping eggwhites

[palabeco]

I need to whip egg whites till stiff.

Anyone know what stiff looks like? My Dh says the peaks should be 3 to 4 inches, I thought it was like 1 inch peaks.

Is it better to whip by hand or use an elec. mixer with whip attachment?, if so what speed? slow or fast?

After I whip these eggwhites to stiff, I need to add brown sugar.
Now, do I just fold it in gently or add while whipping?
All at once or a little at a time?

The recipe is hand written with no real instructions. Just whip till stiff add sugar add nuts.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Keys to successfully whipping eggwhites:

1. Make sure the bowl is absolutely free of any trace of oil. (The whites will never whip if affected by anything oily.)

2. Use egg-whites that are at room temperature. They whip faster.

3. I use a mixer because I'm too lazy to whip by hand. Either way, use moderate to fast speed and don't walk away from the mixer. I would say that the peaks and points have to be stiff, but not any particular height.

4. Adding sugar: Given the lack of instructions on when to add it, my hunch would be to add it gradually during the last stages of whipping (not after it's gotten to stiff-peak stage). If the brown sugar is lumpy, try to break up the lumps first. The goal is to keep the air in the whipped whites.

Good luck!

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Here's how I make meringue.

I use an electric mixer, and a metal bowl. First I put the bowl in the freezer for a minute or two to get it nice and chilled. I think it is most important whether you are making meringue or whipped cream to have a very cold, clean bowl. Then I'll add the egg whites to the bowl and mix on high. It takes a while and I can't imagine making meringue with a whisk!

Stiff means that when you pick up the beaters, (or dip a spoon in and pull it back out) the meringue will form a peak that won't fall back.
I'd fold in the nuts and sugar at the end. I think if you add them too soon you'll meringue will never stiffen.

So good luck with that! It has taken me a long time to learn to make a good meringue, but it's really not that hard once you learn what to look for.

 

[ChickieDee]

If you do it by hand you'll be there forever. Use the electric. Mix it until there is no more liquid whites at the bottom of the bowl. I would think you should fold in the sugar. I assume you want the whites to stay stiff, so fold it in.

 

[palabeco]

Thanks for the info.

 

[eggzettera]

I learned from Alton Brown on good eats (he teaches the science of it all) and these are 2 most important rules that I remember:

1.) Room temperature - just like Buff said. (So not so sure about the bowl having to be cold - I know thats important for making pastry not so sure about whipping cream since the yolks should be at room temp this kind seems to defeat the purpose - but thats just me

)

3.) Again to reinforce what Buff said

Make sure the bowl is absolutely free of any trace of oil. (The whites will never whip if affected by anything oily.)

This means NO PLASTIC bowls plastic is made with petroleum and therefore has a constant "oily" finish to it......​

 

[OHbluecoop]

one more suggestion- older egg whites will also whip better- ditto the rest of the tips

 

[GloriaH]

I have always added cream of tartar to my egg whites. They whip faster and stay firmer.