"There is an island on the sea on the ocean, on that island there is an oak, under the oak there is a chest, a hare in a chest, a duck in a hare, an egg in a duck, a needle in an egg - the death of Koshchei."
Hello friends! There is already an article on my channel dedicated to the rules for making meringue. In these videos, I tell and show in the most detailed way what and how to do to make the meringue turn out. Despite these detailed instructions, comments are periodically received:
- my whites do not whip
- did everything as you said, but the meringue did not work
- I dry the meringue in the oven for a long time, but it remains moist inside, etc.
This situation is exacerbated with the approach of the holidays, which is not surprising. After all, the egg is one of the most commonly used foods. I analyzed the possible causes for a long time, I thought how else can I help you? What else is new to tell so that you can succeed? And I understood! Many, including myself, when talking about the rules for making meringue, do not mention one very simple, but very important point, without which all other rules can be useless.
The whole truth about eggs
I decided to put an end to the meringue issue. So what is this mysterious reason? So this is the whole reason for the unsuccessful meringue in the egg, like death in a tale about Koshchei the Immortal. More precisely, the root of the reasons is not in the egg itself, but in its freshness.
Many will say, “You’ll think about opening America, as if we don’t know that the egg should be fresh.” And they will be right and wrong. It is important what you mean by fresh egg.
- How do you determine its freshness?
- How many of you look at the shelf life of eggs, which is indicated on the package?
Manufacturers set shelf life for eggs 30 days in a workshop, that is, at room temperature, or 90 days in the refrigerator.
But neither stores nor producers store eggs in the refrigerator, this is unnecessary equipment, excess electricity and space. Moreover, more than 30 days allow you to fully sell your products.
You look at the packaging and see the shelf life there for another week and think:
- Oh, how great, this week I will have time to eat these eggs and use in some recipes.
But, the remaining week means that the eggs were laid more than 20 days ago, a couple more days and they will become hopelessly old.
by the way SanPiN established a storage period for eggs of 25 days and for good reason. The fact is that the egg contains very valuable proteins responsible for elasticity, coagulation and heat resistance. And these wonderful proteins are destroyed during storage of the egg and by the 25th day they practically lose their properties.
In human terms, the whites of such an egg will beat badly, I will give inelastic foam, which will settle and spread.
The same is true for whipping whole eggs.
- These eggs will take longer to cook.
- Meringue, when dried, will remain moist for a long time inside.
- A sponge cake made from such eggs will take a long time to bake.
- Even trivial scrambled eggs will take longer to fry.
Besides useful minerals contained in the egg are also destroyed during storage, that is, by this time it will be practically empty.
From the foregoing, it follows that when buying eggs, the shelf life should be at least two weeks, and preferably longer. Pay attention to this.
Marketing gimmicks
The largest C-0 eggs are less valuable than C-1 eggs. Big eggs are laid by old chickens and in fact they just have more liquid, that is, you pay for water.
Eggs of category C-1 are carried by young hens, they are more useful and you do not overpay for the volume. And if you've bought good fresh eggs, of course, don't forget about the basic rules for making meringue.
Basic rules for making meringue:
- Be sure to treat eggs before use, at least wash them with laundry soap. Do not believe in any fairy tales that someone has already processed them somewhere.
- The processed (washed) egg is stored for a day so no one will do it. It is enough to look at them carefully to understand that this is not so.
- Use dry, cleanly washed dishes without traces of grease, the same should be a whisk.
- Peel off the egg whites carefully so that the yolk does not get caught in them.
- Separate each egg white in a separate bowl, and then add it to the rest, so that if the yolk gets into one white, the rest of the mass does not suffer.
- Carefully remove the chalaza, commonly called flagella.
- If you don't have a planetary mixer, it's best not to beat more than three whites.
- Use fine crystalline sugar, or better take 70% sugar and 30% powdered sugar. You do not need to take the entire volume of powder, it will quickly mix with the protein and will not allow it to whip well.
- The classic proportion is 1 part protein and 2 parts sugar, along with powdered sugar.
- Do not get carried away with reducing the amount of sugar; the less you put it, the less stable the meringue will be.
- Do not beat the egg whites at full speed, the bubbles will be large and uneven and the foam will be unstable. Better set the speed between average and maximum, it will be a little longer, but more stable. This applies to a powerful mixer of 500 watts and above.
- Start adding sugar only after the whites have been whipped into a lather.
- Add sugar in 4-5 portions, giving time to stir.
About adding salt and acid:
- Salt aids in protein unfolding.
- The acid stabilizes the mass and imparts a gloss.
- Salt is added at the beginning.
- Acid towards the end.
You can add both, you can add one thing, or you can add nothing at all, this is optional.
When you see a clear drawing, stop, remove the sugar from the walls and lift the mass from the bottom.
When the meringue is beaten to the bird's beaks, check to see if the sugar has stirred.
Unmixed sugar crystals will cause the meringue to "cry" as it dries.
Add the sifted icing sugar and stir at medium speed. And that is all.
How to dry meringue:
Place the meringue on a baking sheet or on parchment; the larger the size, the longer the drying time.
Which egg whites should be beaten cold or at room temperature?
Both those and others are whipped. Warm egg whites beat easier faster and give a fluffier froth, cold ones take longer, but their foam is more stable.
If your mixer is not very powerful, take egg whites at room temperature.
Dry meringue at temperatures up to 100 ° C degrees, preferably 80-90 ° C degrees. You can even use a vegetable dryer if you want a crisp white meringue.
There is a drying option at 120 degrees, but this is if you want a viscous center and a cream-colored meringue.
The time depends on your oven, on average from one and a half to 3 hours.
The meringue is checked as standard if it is removed from the parchment well then it is ready.
The best way to dry is to put the meringue at 80 degrees for 2 and a half hours in the evening, and then turn off the oven and leave it there until morning.
I really want this information to help you and be useful to you. That's all, God bless you!
Your Irina