Mad for Meringue: 19 Delicious Meringue Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why add vinegar and cornstarch to meringue? ›

The cornflour and vinegar that is added strengthens the egg white and make it more stable and you get the marshmallowy centres from the shorter cooking time.

It can be made with any sugar. One cup of superfine sugar or packed brown sugar is equal to 1 cup of granulated sugar; 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar equals 1 cup granulated. Superfine sugar may dissolve more readily and produce a smoother glossier meringue, but volume will not be as great.

A few teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with the sugar helps by soaking up any liquid left in your meringue, leaving it shiny, beautiful, and puddle-free. Starch is especially helpful in hot, humid weather when a meringue is most likely to absorb extra moisture.

It also adds viscosity to the liquid whites, making the bubbles more stable. Add an Acid: Adding an acid like lemon juice, cream of tartar, or even vinegar raises pH, helping to denature some of the egg protein.

Over whip the egg whites and you risk making them too firm and they will risk losing the moisture that they hold. This will affect your meringue's crispness, as well as making it more likely to collapse or weep beads of sugar. As my meringue guru Gary Mehigan advises: “If you over whip the egg whites you cannot fix it.

Meringue Basics

For plain meringue, whether a single large raft, two 8-inch circles, 1 towering pie's worth, or two dozen smaller cookies, use 6 egg whites, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional, but helps the eggs whip up), and 1 cup powdered sugar.

Cream of tartar: Cream of tartar is acidic, and it works to add better stabilization to meringue. The acid can be substituted for lemon juice or vinegar.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch is an excellent way to foolproof your meringue. Use it to create added fluff and keep your hard-won volume from shrinking. Cream of Tartar: Often added in when making meringues, acidic cream of tartar provides lift and stabilization.

What does cream of tartar do to meringue? ›

Cream of tartar stabilizes the tiny bubbles in the egg whites, by precluding the egg proteins from sticking together. It thus speeds up the egg white whipping process and contributes to a stable, billowy, glossy meringue, perfect for cookies, topping pies, and folding into cake.

In a meringue recipe, such as Nigella's Mini Pavlovas (from Domestic Goddess and on the Nigella website), the vinegar is added as it helps to stabilize the whisked egg whites and helps the meringue mixture to hold the air whisked in to it.

The bottom line: For smooth, stiff beaten egg whites that keep their shape, don't skip the cream of tartar. If you don't have cream of tartar, substituting 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar per egg white works almost as well. To avoid meringues that weep, don't skip the cream of tartar...

Make sure your oven isn't too hot

The aim of meringues is simply to dehydrate them, rather than to cook them. If your oven is too hot, the sugar with caramelise and your resulting meringue will be brown, soft, chewy and powdery.

You can't overbeat meringue - It's true! You can't ruin it by mixing too much, so once all of the sugar is added, be sure that your meringue is glossy and that you have super firm, stiff peaks when you remove the beater from the mixer. Don't be afraid to mix a little longer if it appears too soft.

Corn starch molecules also provide more hold for meringue. It will be easier to cut and is less likely to weep.

Much like heat, certain acids like acetic acid (vinegar) or citric acid (lemon juice) can severely hamstring the efficacy of cornstarch: in combination with heat, at sufficient concentrations these acids can break starch molecules down into component sugars.

So, the secret to a moist and tender egg white scramble is a simple hydrocolloid: corn starch. Inspired by the tornado omelet, shearing corn starch and a little bit of water into the egg whites helps to lock in moisture and dilute the proteins, giving this scramble a silky, custard-like texture.

Meringue is made from just two main ingredients: egg whites and sugar. Ingredients such as cream of tartar and lemon juice are also commonly added to increase stability and help the meringue keep its volume.