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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! |
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HOW TO:
(Note: every recipe will vary)
All about
SAFE eggs:
 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. |
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 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 |
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.
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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.
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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. |
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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 ! ~
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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. |
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Weather & Temperature
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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.
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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. |
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Acid (Cream of Tartar, Lemon
Juice & Vinegar) |
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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.
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Lemon juice 2.4 pH (most
acidic) |
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Vinegar 2.8 pH
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Cream of tartar 3.0 to 4.0 pH - works the best
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Milk 6.8 pH |
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Water 7.0 pH (Neutral) |
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Egg white protein 7.6 –
7.9 pH |
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Baking soda 9.0 pH (least
acidic) |
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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. |
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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. |
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Water |
Can aid in the increase of the
volume of egg white foam, but too much can decrease its stability. |
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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, |
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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. |
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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. |
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Manipulation |
Beating, stirring and jarring
can break down the foam.
When you
fold
them in, use a gentle touch. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Rubber Spatula |
A large rubber spatula is great for
folding
ingredients together. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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.
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 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.
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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. |
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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.
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 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. |
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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. |
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.
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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.
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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 |
Some parts
excerpted from
The Healthy Oven Baking Book
, by Sarah Phillips,
Doubleday, 1999. Others
from
Great Cakes,
by Carol Walter,
Clarkson/Potter, NY, 1991 and
Baking with Julia:
Based on the PBS Series Hosted by Julia Child,
by Dorie Greenspan, Morrow Cookbooks, 1996
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