Tips for Whipping Egg Whites

Have you ever had a recipe flop that called for whipped egg whites? Cooking with egg whites is different than cooking with whole eggs. For one thing, egg whites are mostly protein, and they whip up to 7 times their volume. Great chefs and home cooks who know how to harness this ability, make delicate meringues, soufflés, and lofty angel food cakes. But there are important tips to remember about whipping egg whites. Read on and learn how to whip egg whites with perfection.

Uses of Egg Whites in Recipes

Egg whites hold huge volumes of air when whipped, making them a great leavening ingredient. The albumen, or egg white also helps bind ingredients together, making egg whites an excellent binder.

Whipping Egg Whites

Egg whites contain no fat. They are mostly protein, a little water, and some soluble vitamins. If you plan to whip egg whites, you need a glass bowl--avoid using plastic or aluminum. Plastic is porous and may contain a greasy film which will interfere with the ability of the egg whites to whip up well. Plastic utensil, such as rubber spatulas, can do the same. Aluminum reacts with acid and can turn egg whites gray.

Room temperature allows egg whites to bubble better, and thin or older whites beat up faster. Eggs purchased from the store are generally older eggs. You can tell this because the whites appear more runny in a pan. Farm fresh eggs have thicker whites that give more structure to your whipped product, but take longer to whip.

Allow egg whites to warm to room temperature for at least a half-hour before attempting to whip them. Beating egg whites incorporates air into the whites. The more you beat the whites, the smaller the air bubbles. Too little beating leave air bubbles too big and they pop. Too little and they fall flat. What you want is to whip them just right.

Soft peaks are what you want for cakes and soufflés. The bubbles are a little more pronounced, but when you remove the beaters, the peaks left, lean over. Stiff peaks stand up when you remove the beater or whisk, and egg whites whipped to this stage are used in meringues.

If you're not sure whether your egg whites are whipped to the soft peak or hard peak stage, there's a simple way to find out. Tip the bowl almost upside-down. If your whipped eggs don't fall out, they're perfect. If they do, you may have no other choice but to start over with new whites. Soft and hard peaks are not interchangeable. They don't behave the same way.

Egg Whites and Stability

To make beaten whites more stable, cooks add acid. That's why recipes with whipped egg whites often call for cream of tartar, or lemon juice.

When adding sugar to whipped egg whites, it's best to allow the whites to get to the bubbly soft peak stage before introducing any sugar. Otherwise, sugar introduced too soon or too much at once, retards or delays the ability of egg whites to reach hard peak stage.

If you're making a recipe that requires blending whipped egg whites in with other ingredients, you'll want to fold the whipped egg whites in gently. Using the actual beater or whisk works well for this task, because it incorporates air. Simply lift the whipped egg whites and turn them over in the bowl. Don't stir. It's like letting the air out of the bag.

Egg Whites and Food Safety

Safely cook egg whites at a minimum of 110 degrees to kill salmonella. Be sure to cook egg whites before consuming them in any recipe.

With these tips for cooking with egg whites, you should be more confident when you make recipes calling for egg whites or whipped egg whites. Just remember to keep fats away from egg whites when whipping them, add acid for structure, fold whipped egg whites in gently, and cook egg white protein at the lowest safe setting.