Meringue Help
Rachael Hughes
dont mind if I join you and ask a few questions?? :)) I have been trying
to make meringue and I can't get it the egg whites to thicken up to a
point. Any suggestions??? I plan to make a lemon meringue pie for the
first time this thanksgiving and I have been praticing on making the
topping. Also some of the pies I have had in the past have had a runny
filling and I dont want mine to turn out that way. Any suggestions on
that too????
Feel free to email me the answers if you'd like. Thanks
Rachael
Tom Bach
> I have been looking for a cooking group and found this one. I hope you
> dont mind if I join you and ask a few questions?? :)) I have been trying
> to make meringue and I can't get it the egg whites to thicken up to a
> point. Any suggestions??? I plan to make a lemon meringue pie for the
> first time this thanksgiving and I have been praticing on making the
> topping. Also some of the pies I have had in the past have had a runny
> filling and I dont want mine to turn out that way. Any suggestions on
> that too????
>
Try chilling the beaters and bowl (which must be free of any other
ingredients) for about a half-hour before using. Use highest beater speed.
Add a pinch of cream of tartar if the above fails, but this should work OK
assuming eggs are also cold and reasonably fresh.
Vox Humana
"Rachael Hughes" <STRAWB...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:14966-3B...@storefull-235.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
> I have been looking for a cooking group and found this one. I hope you
> dont mind if I join you and ask a few questions?? :)) I have been trying
> to make meringue and I can't get it the egg whites to thicken up to a
> point. Any suggestions??? I plan to make a lemon meringue pie for the
> first time this thanksgiving and I have been praticing on making the
> topping. Also some of the pies I have had in the past have had a runny
> filling and I dont want mine to turn out that way. Any suggestions on
> that too????
To get maximum volume from egg white you have to have the eggs at least at
room temperature. I heat mine by immersing the eggs in hot water in the
shell before using them (this make separating the white and yolk more
difficult) or heat the whites after they have been separated. You can do
this over a water bath or very carefully on a heat source. If you don't
want to heat the eggs, at least let them come to room temperature.
Secondly, you have to make sure there is absolutely no oil on the beaters,
whip, or bowl. You also have to be careful not to get even a speck of yolk
in the whites.
Cream of tarter will help stabilize the whites and virtually eliminates the
possibility of over beating the white. You should add it at the start and
beat the whites on low speed until they begin to foam. You can increase the
speed of the mixer and very slowly add the sugar. Beat the whites until
they just form stiff peaks. Over beating makes the whites less flexible and
they lose volume and get watery.
As for the filling being too thin, there could be a number of problems. The
most likely is not cooking long enough. Starch has to reach a sufficient
temperature to thicken. There is an enzyme in egg yolk and flour called
amylase. This enzyme breaks down starch and causes the filling to liquefy.
You must heat the mixture to about 180F for a few minutes to inactivate the
enzyme.
Betsy
I agree with all the above. Despite the well-intentioned advice on
the other post, room-temperature or warm (not hot) is the way to go.
(Very cold is for whipping cream). If you don't have cream of tartar,
any acid will do, like a _small_ quantity of lemon juice. A copper
bowl really does work well, also, but most people don't have one, or
want to buy one just for this. A previous thread about why copper
bowls work can be found by looking at former posts, just in the last
month or two, on this group.
betsy
Judith Moore
>> to make meringue and I can't get it the egg whites to thicken up to a
>> point. Any suggestions??? I plan to make a lemon meringue pie for the
>> first time this thanksgiving and I have been praticing on making the
>> topping. Also some of the pies I have had in the past have had a runny
>> filling and I dont want mine to turn out that way. Any suggestions on
>> that too????
>Try chilling the beaters and bowl (which must be free of any other
>ingredients) for about a half-hour before using. Use highest beater speed.
>Add a pinch of cream of tartar if the above fails, but this should work OK
>assuming eggs are also cold and reasonably fresh.
Oops. Chilled beaters and bowl are for whipped *cream*, not egg whites. Egg
whites (and equipment) should be at room temperature. Meticulously clean
implements are, however, mandatory. Dear Julia recommends rubing the bowl with
a little vinegar and salt and wiping out thoroughly. Then whip by hand or
machine 'til eggs are "foamy." Add a pinch of salt (if it wasn't part of bown
pre) and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar for 4 eggwhites. Gradually increase beating
speed 'til stiff peaks can be created by picking up beater or whisk. Sugar
should be added at the "soft peak" stage and whisking continued.