The fresher the egg, the better it will whip up
Save the slightly older eggs for boiling—they peel better than the fresh ones.
Make sure the eggs are at room temperature too (important for good aeration). It’s harder to separate warm eggs, so you may want to start with cold eggs out of the fridge, separate them, and then let the whites warm up.
Separate the eggs very carefully
Don’t use the white if it contains any trace of yolk (save those for scrambled eggs). Use three bowls to eliminate the risk of losing all your eggs with one slip-up: one for separating, one for the whites, and one for the yolks.
If the egg whites are cold, let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes or put the bowl in a bath of lukewarm water to warm them up faster.
Use a deep mixing bowl and very, very clean utensils
Even the smallest bit of oil can keep the eggs from expanding. A copper bowl is ideal for beating eggs (but other bowls will do fine, too). If you’re feeling strong, use a whisk to beat them by hand. An electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment speeds up the process.
Start whisking at a low speed, gradually speeding up
A pinch of salt at the beginning will help break up the eggs and make beating them easier. Don’t go higher than medium-high on a stand mixer—you’ll get smaller and more stable bubbles in the foam if you don't go full throttle.
Continue to 5 of 9 below.
A little acid adds volume and stability
Once the eggs foam and start to puff up into the earliest stages of soft peaks, you can sprinkle in a bit of cream of tartar, a few drops of vinegar, or lemon juice. Keep beating the eggs continuously. (Stopping to take photos, as I learned, can cause the mixture to become unstable.)
Soft peaks
You'll know you're at the soft peak stage when you pull the whisk out of the mixture and the whites form peaks with the tips flopping over. For sweet preparations, this is when you gradually add in sugar, a tablespoon or two at a time. Superfine sugar is ideal because it dissolves easily. Adding sugar helps to stabilize the eggs, which means less risk of weeping egg whites.
But be careful not to add sugar too quickly or too soon—you'll risk losing volume.
Stiff peaks
You've reached stiff peak stage when the egg whites are smooth, moist, shiny, and the tips can stand straight up. This is what they should look like just before they are folded in with other ingredients.
Stiff peaks with sugar
Egg whites beaten with sugar are denser and shinier than plain beaten egg whites. If there's a significant amount of sugar, the mixture should look meringue-like because, at this point, that's really what it is.
It can take a while for a meringue to reach stiff peaks and for the sugar to dissolve—about five minutes with a hand mixer. If the sugar has not dissolved (for example, if it tastes gritty), keep beating.
Continue to 9 of 9 below.
Overbeaten
The earliest signs of overbeating are little granules on the side of the bowl (as noted in this photo) and decreased volume. After that, the whole mixture looks dry and curdled.
If it's really overbeaten, the structure of the egg whites will break and liquid will weep out. Try beating in another egg white to help recover the mix.
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FAQs
How to Beat Egg Whites | Technique of the Week? ›
Turn off the mixer and check the stiffness of the peaks. In total, this should take about 4 to 5 minutes. For soft peaks, the beaten egg whites should have some body but not hold their shape.
How long does it take to beat egg whites until they re stiff? ›Turn off the mixer and check the stiffness of the peaks. In total, this should take about 4 to 5 minutes. For soft peaks, the beaten egg whites should have some body but not hold their shape.
Are egg whites only good for 7 days? ›Refrigerated liquid egg whites (unopened): up to 10 days past expiration. Refrigerated liquid egg whites (opened): 3-4 days. Refrigerated separated egg whites: 4-7 days. Frozen egg whites: up to 12 months.
What is stiff but not dry egg whites? ›"Stiff but not dry" (photo #3) means beaten egg whites that are thick and glossy looking and with tips that stand up firmly with only a tiny bit at the top lopping over. To test whether whites are stiff enough, either turn the bowl over – it's ok! the whites won't fall out!
What is the secret to beating egg whites? ›A pinch of salt at the beginning will help break up the eggs and make beating them easier. Don't go higher than medium-high on a stand mixer—you'll get smaller and more stable bubbles in the foam if you don't go full throttle.
What is the best bowl to whip egg whites in? ›Use a stainless steel or glass bowl. Plastic bowls can retain a film of grease. -Mixers: Using an electric portable or stand mixer is easiest. Meringue can be beaten with a balloon whisk, but this requires more than average arm strength and endurance.
Do you put cream of tartar in meringue? ›With their crispy exteriors and their marshmallow-like interiors, who doesn't love a meringue? And thanks to a little cream of tartar, your egg whites will whip up perfectly every time. Cream of tartar helps to stabilize the meringue batter, so it bakes into an airy, lofty cake.
When to add sugar to meringue? ›Slowly stream in the sugar after the egg whites have been whipping for about 10 seconds. Add the sugar in thirds: 1/3 when the whites are a very pale yellow (about 10 seconds in), 1/3 when the whites begin to foam, and 1/3 just before the whites reach a soft peak. Add all of the sugar at once.
Can you beat egg white too long? ›Watch these stages carefully, because if you over-beat the egg whites the stretched protein will break and let the water in the whites out, creating a really unappetizing mix of eggy water and foam.
Can you eat too many egg whites? ›Conclusion. Egg whites may be one of the healthiest foods in your diet plan, but you don't eat more than two eggs daily. Also, there are some precautions that can prevent you from the side effects of eating boiled egg white daily. Eggs must be properly boiled before consumption.
Can you use Egg Beaters after 7 days? ›
Once a carton of Egg Beaters is opened, it must be used within seven days or by the “sell by” date, whichever comes first.
Why are my egg whites not turning into meringue? ›One of the most common mistakes is not beating the eggs long enough, or on too slow a speed, which means the egg whites won't reach stiff peak stage and instead only reach a soggy droopy stage.
Why won't my liquid egg whites stiffen? ›Any grease or egg yolk will keep your whites from beating to stiff peaks properly. So, before you begin, wash all your equipment with hot, soapy water. Use a glass or stainless-steel bowl; avoid plastic bowls, as they can retain a greasy residue from previous uses.
Can I use brown sugar to beat egg white? ›Conclusion: For my case whipping brown sugar with egg whites resulted in a denser sponge cake. So I'd recommend sticking to granulated sugar but if you run out of it brown sugar is still a good option, just that it might not give you the texture you want.
What bowl should you not use to beat egg whites in? ›Use a stainless steel or glass bowl. Plastic bowls can retain a film of grease. -Mixers: Using an electric portable or stand mixer is easiest. Meringue can be beaten with a balloon whisk, but this requires more than average arm strength and endurance.
What is the most important suggestion to follow when beating egg whites? ›Whenever you're beating eggs, start off slowly and gradually work up to a high speed. While beating egg whites by hand is a great upper-body workout, a hand mixer or standing mixer does the job in less time and tends to give you a more uniform structure. Eggs beat best if they are fresh and cold.
How do you know that you have beaten the egg white to stiff peaks? ›Turn on the mixer to medium speed and beat until soft peaks form, then beat on high until stiff peaks form. You've hit stiff peak egg white stage when you have glossy peaks that stand straight. Here are a few pointers for achieving stiff peak egg whites.
What happens if you over whip egg whites? ›So, the longer the better? Well, not quite. There is such a thing as too strong. If your whipped egg whites become curdled and dry, they have gone too far.