7 perfect meringue secrets you need to know

Meringue recipes look simple: beat egg whites with powdered sugar and sometimes lemon juice. But to get a really airy dessert, you need to do everything right.

1. Meringue eggs should not be the freshest, but about a week old. The whites of such eggs are beaten better.
2. Separate the whites from the yolks as carefully as possible. Even if a little yolk gets into the protein mass, it simply will not whip.
3. You need to separate the proteins from the yolks immediately after you get the eggs from the refrigerator. But before whipping, the proteins should stand at room temperature for half an hour. Thanks to this, the base for the meringue will be more airy.
4. Beat egg whites in a clean, dry bowl. Mixer attachments should be the same. Even with a drop of water or fat, you will not be able to whip the egg whites into foam. For reliability, you can first wipe the dishes with lemon juice, and then with a paper towel.
5. Use powdered sugar instead of sugar. If it is not available, regular sugar can be ground in a coffee grinder. The protein mass is whipped better with powder. In addition, grains of sugar may remain in the meringue, which means that the dessert will not be so tender.
6. Powdered sugar should be added after you whip the egg whites into foam, and not before. It needs to be poured in portions, about a teaspoonful, while continuing to beat the egg mass.
7. Lemon juice is added at the end so that the mass does not lose volume. Based on the calculation of ½ teaspoon of juice per 1 egg white. But if you have a fairly powerful mixer, which has already beaten the proteins into a stable foam, you can not add juice. In any case, it will not harm the finished dessert in any way.

How to cook meringue in the oven

This is a classic recipe that makes meringue airy and beautiful.

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites;
• 180 g of powdered sugar.

What else can be added to meringue

The taste and appearance of classic meringue will help diversify:

• vanillin;
• cinnamon;
• food extracts or flavors (vanilla, almond, mint, fruit, etc.);
• food coloring (gel coloring will make the meringue more shiny, and powder coloring will make it matte);
• chopped nuts;
• cocoa;
• coconut shavings.

They are added to the protein mass at the end of cooking.

But be careful. Oils (such as in nuts) and liquids can interfere with foam formation. Therefore, it is better to add quite a bit than to overdo it and ruin the meringue.

If you want to add food flavorings, never use those that contain alcohol. It also won’t let the squirrels rise.

Cooking

Separate the whites from the yolks. Beat the whites with a mixer first at low speed for about 30 seconds. When the whites just start to foam, increase the speed to medium and beat until a thick white foam forms.

Then gradually add powdered sugar. Turn off the mixer and mix the meringue base with a spoon, collecting the protein mass from the walls, which was splashed during the whipping process.

Then beat for a few more minutes at high speed. You should get a thick foam of a uniform consistency. You can check the readiness of the meringue base, oddly enough, by lifting the container with it upside down: the protein mass should remain in place.

Put the finished base in a piping bag. You can get by with an ordinary spoon, but the dessert will not be so beautiful.

Preheat oven to 100°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and form the meringue on it.

Put the baking sheet in the oven on a medium level for 1-1.5 hours. Cooking time depends on the size of the meringue: the smaller they are, the faster they will be ready. Too large meringues will take about 2 hours.

Do not open the oven during cooking. Due to the temperature difference, the meringue may crack. The finished meringue should easily separate from the parchment.

After cooking, turn off the oven, open the door slightly and leave the meringue inside to cool completely for several hours.

How to cook meringue in a slow cooker

Meringue from a slow cooker is no different from meringue from the oven. This cooking method is suitable, for example, if it is not possible to use the oven.

The proportions of the ingredients and the method of preparing the meringue base also do not differ from the classic recipe. But keep in mind that you will have to cook the meringue in portions or reduce the amount of ingredients by 2-3 times.

Cooking

Line the bottom of the multicooker with parchment paper or foil. Form the meringue on it with a spoon or piping bag at a small distance from each other.

Turn on the “Baking” mode and cook with the lid open for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Under a closed lid, the meringue will not dry out ….