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Glossário Culinário

Beating Egg Whites to Stiff Peaks

Técnica

Também chamado de
beaten egg whites, stiff peaks

Beating egg whites to stiff peaks means whipping the whites until they become a white, firm, glossy foam that holds its shape when the bowl is turned over. This foam is air trapped in protein, and it works as natural leavening in delicate preparations such as cheese soufflé, egg-white pudding and airy desserts like eton mess and white-chocolate mousse.

Characteristics

Success starts with a perfectly clean, dry bowl, with no trace of fat, and whites with not a speck of yolk, because fat keeps the foam from firming up. Room-temperature whites whip faster and yield more volume. The stages progress: first a loose foam, then soft peaks that curl at the tip, and finally firm peaks that stand upright. A pinch of salt or drops of lemon help stabilize, and sugar, when the recipe calls for meringue, goes in gradually only after the foam has formed.

Uses in the kitchen

Stiffly beaten whites support savory and sweet soufflés, lighten egg-white puddings, mousses and pavés, and go into cake batters to make the crumb fluffy. Once whipped, they are folded into the batter with gentle bottom-up movements, using a spatula, so as not to lose the air. Overbeating leaves the foam dry and grainy, which breaks when mixed.

Variations

  • Soft peaks: soft foam that curls at the tip, ideal for folding into cake batters and mousses.
  • Firm peaks: dense foam that stands upright, used in soufflés and egg-white pudding, which needs structure to unmold.
  • Meringue: whites beaten with sugar until glossy and very firm, the base of meringue kisses, pavlovas and frostings.

Fun facts

A glass, stainless-steel or copper bowl works better than a plastic one, which tends to hold microscopic grease. Starting on low speed and increasing gradually gives a more stable foam than whipping everything on high at once. And beaten whites deflate if they wait: ideally use them right away, because ready foam doesn’t like to stand in line.

Recipes with beaten egg whites

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