Whipping Egg Whites

December 1, 2024

Hello Friends,

One of the most common problems in baking is when the recipe instructs you to whip egg whites. It seems to have become a bigger problem in recent years than it was when I was learning to cook. A few months ago, I experienced this problem which I had never had before. After much research, I discovered that the eggs were too old. Because of the long distant shipping, when you purchase eggs from the supermarket, sometimes they are much older than one might think.

Many people have complained to be about the problem they have in whipping up the egg whites. The whites do not whip well when they are older. When I was young, my aunt raised chickens to sell the eggs. She used to say the perfect age of the eggs to cook with was three days. During my research, I was told the chicken farms have about five weeks to distribute the eggs to the retailers. That in itself is far too long and I believe sometimes they are older than five weeks. If you can get your eggs locally, they will be much fresher.

When whipping egg whites, you must be careful not to get ONE SPECK of yolk mixed in with the whites. Here is the best way to prevent that from happening. Eggs separate better when cold so do this as soon as you remove them from the refrigerator. When cracking the shell try to prevent sharp edges in the shell so as not to puncture the yolk. After gently removing the egg from the shell into my (CLEAN) hand, I let the white run down between my fingers into a small bowl. I then dump each white into a larger mixing bowl; this way if you happen to get a speck of yolk in the whites, you can eliminate one without ruining all the whites. Repeat this process for all the eggs you need.

Egg whites whip better at room temperature; not warm but about 65F to 70F degrees. After separating all your eggs, cover the whites and let them set out about 30 to 40 minutes. You can refrigerate the yolks for later use or go ahead and use immediately. I usually make homemade noodles or some cakes and custards use yolks only.

Before beginning your project, make sure your bowl, beaters and all utensils are clean and free of any grease. Do not use plastic; copper is best but I often use glass or stainless steel when beating whites. By adding a little cream of tartar after beginning the beating process, the whites will rise to a greater volume and stabilize at the volume. Be careful not to overbeat causing the whites to dry out too much.
Watch Me Whip Egg Whites
PICTURED BELOW: Meringue Beaten until Peaks are Stiff

MERINGUE KISSES

Beat egg whites until foamy; add salt and cream of tartar.
Slowly add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Fold in vanilla and your choice of chips, coconut, nuts or fruit.
Drop by teaspoon onto well greased cookie baking sheet.
Bake at 375F degrees for about 7 minutes or until golden brown.

Your friend, Frances