Whipping the eggs means mixing them quickly until they are the right consistency for the dish or baked product you are preparing. Depending on the recipe, you can beat the whole eggs or just the egg whites or yolks. In many preparations, beating the eggs and in particular the egg whites is a crucial step, which is important to know how to perform perfectly. Nonetheless, indications are often scarce or absent. Whether you need to beat egg whites for a meringue or whole eggs for a cake, it is essential to proceed in the right way and with the appropriate tools for the success of the recipe.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Hand Whipping Egg Whites
Step 1. Prepare the eggs
They need to be at room temperature (20-25 ° C) to reach full volume, so take them out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before using them and place them on your kitchen counter.
- If you are in a hurry, place the eggs in a bowl filled with hot water for 5-10 minutes to quickly bring them to room temperature.
- If you are only using egg whites, separate them from the yolks when the eggs are still cold. If you wait for them to reach room temperature, you will have a harder time separating them.
Step 2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks if necessary
Create a crack in the shell in the center of the egg. Keep the yolk in the lower half of the shell and let the egg white slide into a bowl. Transfer the yolk from one half of the shell to the other until all the egg white has fallen into the bowl.
- Alternatively, you can crack the egg with one hand. Grab it in your open hand, break it in half, hold the yolk in the hollow of your palm and let the egg white slide between your fingers and into the bowl below.
- Use a small bowl or bowl and transfer the egg whites to a larger bowl later. This will prevent parts of the yolk from coming into contact with the other ingredients.
Step 3. Evaluate how long to beat the egg whites
According to the recipe, the egg whites should be liquid, soft or whipped until stiff peaks.
- If the recipe indicates that the egg whites should be beaten until stiff, but not stiff, it means they need to be beaten, but they should have a soft consistency. If you stop mixing and turn the whisk upside down, the whipped egg white must hold its shape for a few moments and then it must begin to pour. Some recipes specify to whisk the egg whites until stiff in a first phase, to add the other ingredients (for example sugar) and then to resume whipping until stiff peaks are firm.
- When the egg whites are whipped until stiff peaks keep their volume for a long time, but over time they tend to "deflate" anyway.
- For the egg whites to be whipped until stiff, for example for the meringue recipe, they must be very white and have a firm consistency. If you stop mixing and turn the whisk upside down, they need to keep their shape intact without dripping.
Step 4. Get a clean glass, copper, or stainless steel bowl
Never beat egg whites in a plastic bowl as they could get scratched and even the smallest scratches could interfere with the process.
- Experienced cooks prefer to use a copper bowl, as very small amounts of copper ions bind to the egg whites and make them more stable. Also, it is difficult to whip eggs more than necessary in a copper bowl.
- Copper cooking utensils are expensive, so amateur cooks generally use a glass or stainless steel tureen.
Step 5. Use a rounded whip made of thin metal wire
The large, rounded shape helps incorporate air into the egg whites.
The ideal tool for whipping egg whites is a metal whisk made up of a dense, sturdy and flexible mesh
Step 6. Hold the whisk firmly and start mixing the egg whites at a moderate pace
Hold the bowl steady with your non-dominant hand. Make circular movements and perform about two rotations per second inside the bowl. After about 30 seconds, the egg whites will begin to look fluffy.
- You can make circular or 8-shaped movements.
- Keep stirring the egg whites and occasionally lift the whisk to incorporate even more air.
Step 7. Add the cream of tartar when the egg whites have become fluffy
It is an acid salt, derived from the winemaking process, which gives greater stability to the egg whites.
If you're using a copper bowl, you don't need to add cream of tartar
Step 8. Increase the speed
Continue mixing the egg whites in circular motions, but increase the pace. After mixing them continuously for 2-3 minutes, you should notice that they have increased in volume.
- Stir without stopping to keep incorporating air into the egg whites. In 12-18 minutes they should reach their maximum volume.
- Manually beating the egg whites until stiff peaks takes a long time and arms endowed with considerable strength and physical endurance. You will need to keep stirring vigorously for about a quarter of an hour to get a good result.
Method 2 of 3: Whip the Egg Whites with the Electric Whisk
Step 1. You can use a simple manual electric whisk or a professional planetary mixer
They are both motorized kitchen whips. You will be able to give the right consistency to the egg whites in a very short time compared to when you whip them by hand.
- The manual electric whisk is a very economical tool compared to the planetary mixer and takes up much less space in the kitchen.
- The planetary mixer allows you to have your hands free and to be able to dedicate yourself to other steps of the recipe while the egg whites are whipped. Read the instruction booklet and use the accessory indicated to beat and whip the eggs.
Step 2. Beat the egg whites on a low speed until they are frothy, this will take about a minute
If you start mixing them right away at high speed, they will have no way of reaching their full volume.
When the egg whites become fluffy, add a pinch of cream of tartar to make them more stable
Step 3. Gradually increase the speed and continue beating the egg whites
Thanks to the electric whisk or the planetary mixer they will reach their full volume within a few minutes.
- Since the electric hand whisk motor is not as powerful as that of a professional food processor, you may need to increase the speed further to get the egg whites to reach the consistency required by the recipe.
- If you have a planetary mixer available, set it to medium-high speed, without letting it reach maximum power. Smaller air bubbles will form and the whipped egg whites will be more stable.
Step 4. Don't lose sight of the egg whites in the stand mixer
Also check them often as you work through the other steps in the recipe to avoid over-whipping them.
- If you whip egg whites for too long, you risk them coagulating and becoming dry or grainy.
- When the egg whites are too whipped, their structure disintegrates and the liquid part tends to separate from the solid one.
- If you've whipped them for too long, you can try to save the day by incorporating another egg white. Turn the whisk or planetary mixer back on to try to restore the right consistency to the already whipped egg whites. If the attempt fails, throw it all away and start over.
Method 3 of 3: Whisk Whole Eggs with Sugar
Step 1. Use only the freshest eggs for baked goods
The fresher they are, the softer and more stable they will be once beaten.
Step 2. Mount the whisk on the mixer
You can also use a manual electric whisk, but with the food processor the eggs bind more quickly to the sugar.
If you don't have a stand mixer and you want to use a manual electric whisk, move it in a circle inside the bowl to incorporate as much air as possible into the eggs. In this way they will reach a soft and light consistency
Step 3. Add the sugar according to the directions in the recipe
Beat the eggs until the sugar has dissolved completely. This will give you a thick, light batter and prevent the eggs from coagulating when you heat them.
Step 4. Continue whisking the eggs until the mixture turns pale yellow
By gradually incorporating air, the mixture thickens and clears up.
Step 5. Check that the mixture is thick enough
When the eggs have turned pale yellow, lift the whisk and see how they fall back into the mixer. At this point of processing the eggs must have reached the stage that expert cooks define "making the tape", that is when they fall from the whisk they must form a real tape that rests on the surface of the mixture and keeps its shape intact for some. seconds.
Be careful because if you don't wait for the eggs to reach this stage of processing, you will get a hard and chewy cake
Advice
- The egg whites are delicate, continue quickly with the steps of the recipe after having whipped them.
- When making scrambled eggs, beat them slowly and briefly if you want them to be thick or vigorously and long if you prefer them fluffier.
