What do you look for in the perfect meringue? The flavour or the texture? Well, if you ask me, I would say the texture. The stiff, light and airy peaks are enough to make me drool over meringue. After all, the hard work and technicalities that the process of making meringue demands are just to get the perfectly stiff peaks. However, making the ideal meringue doesn’t come easy. Numerous failed trials go into the process of making the flawless meringue. So, if you are going through the same, here are four mistakes that you need to avoid.
1. Not Bringing Egg Whites To Room Temperature
It is always easier to separate cold eggs. However, eggs at room temperature form better peaks than cold eggs. The ideal temperature to make meringue is 70 degrees. So, it is better to bring egg whites to room temperature and then proceed to beat them to form stiff peaks.
2. Baking At Low Temperatures
If you notice beads of liquid condensation forming on the top of the meringue, you might be baking the meringue at too low temperatures. For the perfect meringue, shorten the cooking time and increase the heat a little bit. If your meringue sticks at the bottom of your baking sheet at the end, you might need to bake it for a few more minutes.
3. Adding Sugar All At Once
Sugar is what makes a difference between a perfectly whipped meringue and just simple egg foam. Despite this fact, it is quite important to be cautious while adding sugar. Dumping in all the sugar at once will knock all the air out of the foam, resulting in a droopy meringue. It is always advisable to use half the quantity of sugar required, one tablespoon at a time while the machine is running.
4. Under Or Over Beating The Meringue
Beating the egg whites for too short a time or at a lower speed than required are some of the common mistakes that ruin the texture of the meringue. Beat until your egg whites form stiff peaks and are glossy. If your egg whites are not beaten enough, you’ll get a droopy meringue. On the other hand, if you beat them for too long, the meringue will attain a grainy texture that is too unpleasant to savour.