Whipped egg whites are included in many dessert recipes. But often the most difficult thing in the cooking process is getting a fluffy foam from the proteins, since they are not always whipped into it. To ensure that the production of sweet cakes, sauces or other delicacies does not depend on chance, you need to know a few secrets of how to successfully whip egg whites into a foam.
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What is needed to beat egg whites and sugar?
First of all, you need the proteins and sugar themselves, but it wouldn’t hurt to take a pinch of salt. It is believed that it helps speed up the beating process.
To prepare a portion of proteins you need:
- 4 egg whites
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
Instead of the latter, you can take powdered sugar, it dissolves better and allows you to achieve a more fluffy foam.
How to properly beat egg whites with powdered sugar
First you need to start the process of whipping pure whites at low speeds, without adding sugar. You can add a drop of lemon juice or salt to them, and then the whipping process will go faster. When foam begins to form from the proteins, powdered sugar or sugar is added to them in a thin stream, while the beating process does not stop.
In addition, when foam appears, it is necessary to increase the speed of the mixer or blender in which they are whipped to medium and do not change the whipping frequency anymore. The fact is that proteins are quite capricious and can react, among other things, to a change in the rhythm of intensity by falling.
The criterion for the readiness of proteins is a fluffy foam that does not leave the bowl in which it was whipped, even when it is turned over. The peaks that do not fall off also remain on the rim.
The secrets of plump proteins
For successful whipping, the whites must be carefully separated from the yolks. If even a drop of yolk gets into the whites, there will be no result. It is advisable to separate the whites from the yolks one at a time over a separate, rather than shared, bowl, pouring only perfectly clean whites into it. This simple method will help preserve the bulk of the whites from a single yolk.
Eggs for beating must be fresh. Despite the fact that whites are whipped from both fresh and old eggs, the latter have a high risk of rapid collapse, which is due to the structure of the source material.
In order for the whites whipped with sugar to turn out fluffy, the eggs must be taken directly from the refrigerator. Warm whites will not foam.
Dishes for proteins must be perfectly clean and absolutely dry. Even the slightest presence of liquid or fat prevents the formation of foam. That is why it is not recommended to touch the whites with your hands, and if before whipping it is discovered that a piece of shell or a particle of yolk has gotten into the bowl, you need to remove them with anything, but not with your fingers. Experienced housewives prefer to use glass bowls or ordinary jars for whipping, saying that plastic dishes retain moisture and grease on the walls even after drying.
Beating egg whites always happens the same way, and if you understand the algorithm, you can be sure of success.
Utensils and tools
Properly whipped whites increase in volume by 8-9 times, so take a spacious, deep bowl. Give preference to glass or metal dishes with a round bottom. The walls of plastic bowls, despite thorough washing, may be covered with a fatty film. And fat is our main enemy. As an extra precaution, you can wipe down the bowl and whisk with a slice of lemon or a cloth soaked in vinegar.
Does the quality of the foam depend on what eggs were used?
Cold whites are whipped into a stable, but not too voluminous foam. Beating egg whites at room temperature produces a fluffy but not very stable foam.
A pinch of salt added at the beginning of whipping provides more volume, but at the cost of reduced stability.
Thus, the choice of proteins for whipping depends on the result you want. Follow the recipe directions!
You can beat the whites by hand using a whisk, an electric hand mixer, a stand mixer, or an immersion blender with a whisk attachment. Whipping by hand will require time and considerable physical effort. Therefore, if you need to beat more than three egg whites, use the technique.
Stages of beating egg whites
Separate the white from the yolk. If you have a special egg separator, the task is much simpler: just break the egg into it. The white will flow into the cup below, the yolk will remain in the recess of the separator. If there is no separator, you will have to use quite a lot of dishes. But precautions will not be superfluous: it is very disappointing when one unsuccessfully broken egg makes several carefully separated whites unsuitable for whipping!
Place three bowls in front of you: a large metal or glass bowl for the whites, a medium one for the yolks, and a “safety” cup over which you will break the eggs. You may need another container with a lid - for unsuccessfully broken eggs.
Take the egg in your left hand, turn your palm up. Place the egg on your slightly spread fingers, holding it with your thumb. Take the knife in your right hand. Strike the middle of the egg with the blunt side of the blade, directing the blow across. Do not hit too hard, but firmly, so that the shell gives a long crack across the egg. Put down the knife. You can break the eggs on the edge of a bowl or on a work surface, whichever is more convenient.
Hold the egg with both hands over the cup and pull the shell halves in different directions. Some of the protein will begin to flow into the cup. Break the egg so that the yolk remains in one half of the shell. Pour the white from the second shell into a cup. Transfer the yolk into an empty shell, while the white will continue to flow into the cup. Transfer the remaining egg from shell to shell until the white has completely drained. Between the white and the yolk you will see a “flagellum”. Try to carefully separate it from the yolk - it “belongs” to the white.
Pour the yolk from the shell and the white from the cup into the bowls prepared for them. If the yolk is damaged and gets into the whites, pour the egg into a container with a lid, wash and wipe the “safety” cup dry and start over.
Start beating the egg whites at medium speed. Even if you beat the egg whites by hand, your movements should be light and slow. At the first stage, the whites begin to become saturated with air and become cloudy and foamy.
Now you can gradually increase the beating speed. Large bubbles will appear in the bowl and the white foam will look like a white foam ball. If you lift the whisk at this stage, a soft foam will remain on it, which will drain very quickly.
Now you can start adding sugar. Add it in a thin stream, in small portions.
If you are using a hand mixer or immersion blender with a whisk attachment, move the attachments around the bowl, moving them up and through the whites, trying to capture as much air as possible.
After some time, the foam will noticeably thicken and the bubbles will decrease in size. If you lift the whisk at this stage, the foam will not hold, and the sharp tip will bend, forming a “hook”. This means that the whites are whipped “to soft peaks.”
If you continue to beat the whites, gradually adding sugar, the foam will become even denser and acquire a glossy shine. If you lift the rim at this stage, a sharp “peak” will form on the rim, which will hold its shape well. This last stage of whipping egg whites is often referred to as “strong” or “stiff” peaks. 
If you continue to beat the whites after they have become glossy and stable, you can ruin EVERYTHING: the whites become dry, grainy, lose volume, and separate into a curdled mass and liquid. The less sugar was added to the whites, the easier it is to overbeat them.
When the whites are whipped to the desired consistency, handle them according to the recipe.
How to combine whites with a thick mass
Often whipped whites need to be combined with another, denser and thicker mass. Moreover, you need to combine so that the proteins are evenly distributed throughout the mixture, but do not lose their airiness. This is not difficult and is always done by hand, not with a mixer. The most convenient tool is a rubber or silicone spatula.
Whipped whites are added in one or several additions. You can first add a small part (no more than a quarter) of the proteins to the thick mixture and stir to slightly “lighten” it and simplify further combining of the mixtures.
Use a spatula to place the egg whites onto the thick mixture. Lower the edge of the spatula through the egg whites to the bottom of the bowl and “pull” the thicker mixture from the bottom of the bowl up and INTO the beaten egg whites. Rotate the bowl around its axis to make mixing more even. Dip the spatula into the whites again, lift the thick mass from the bottom, and place it on the whites. Repeat these movements until the whites are completely combined with a thick mass. Use the spatula slowly and carefully to avoid breaking up any air bubbles, but be sure to do so.
Sometimes heavy and hard pieces of chocolate or dried fruit, as well as fruit puree, are mixed into the protein foam. In these cases there is no need to intervene too carefully, but still try not to overdo it.
Beating with sugar is required in many culinary recipes, but the technology itself is usually not described in them. Meanwhile, making a truly good meringue, or even an ordinary sponge cake, without knowing certain subtleties of this process is not so simple. So, how to handle sugar correctly, what do you need to know? Let's look at the main points.
Selection and preparation of dishes
The most fluffy, and most importantly, stable foam can be obtained by whipping egg whites with sugar in a copper bowl. But, unfortunately, in modern times such utensils can rarely be found in the kitchen, and therefore they can be replaced with glass or, in extreme cases, metal.
For this purpose, it is highly recommended not to use utensils made of aluminum. This is explained by the fact that this metal, reacting with the acid added to the protein-sugar mass, gives the mass a grayish tint. It is also worth giving up plastic containers, since the fatty films formed on the porous surface of the plastic prevent the proteins from reaching their maximum volume.
It is very important that the dishes are perfectly clean and dry. Even the smallest amount of fat can make the whites not completely whipped, but only a third of their potential volume. This is explained by the fact that fat complicates the process of formation of protein bonds in the protein mass. It is recommended to wipe the whisk and whisk container with a slice of lemon and then dry thoroughly.
Selecting eggs and separating whites
With sugar, what are the best eggs for this? You can beat any egg well, but it is worth considering that fresh eggs, due to the fact that they have thick whites, will take a little longer to beat, but at the same time they will remain in a whipped state for a longer time. Eggs that have been stored for a long time become watery and therefore do not beat well. It is easiest to beat eggs at room temperature, as bubbles form more easily in warm whites.
You need to place two dry and clean bowls in front of you. Holding your hands over the container, carefully crack the egg using a knife and divide it in half. Pour the yolk from one part of the shell to another until all the white is in the bowl. It is important to carefully ensure that even the smallest amount of yolk does not get into the whites, since otherwise it will be impossible to obtain the maximum volume of protein mass.
Tools
Since whipping egg whites with sugar is not a quick task, it is best to arm yourself with a mixer for this purpose, which has two rotating attachments. If you don’t have this kitchen appliance, you can use a whisk or a hand cream beater, but in this case the process will be significantly delayed.
You should first beat at the lowest speed, gradually, slowly, increasing it. A foam will soon form, which will become denser and whiter as you beat.
Stabilizing whipped egg whites
It is not enough just to know how to beat egg whites with sugar; it is also important to be able to secure the stability of the resulting fluffy mass. So, for this purpose, it is recommended to add acid to the proteins at the foam stage - cream of tartar, lime or lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid. This helps the protein cells become more closely connected to each other, as a result of which the proteins will not only whip up faster, but will also retain their shape longer.
Adding sugar
The moment of addition is very important; by this time the whites should already be well beaten. If the protein is not whipped enough, then large air bubbles are clearly visible in it, bursting when the protein mass is added to the dough, as a result of which the finished products lose their airiness and fluffiness.
If the protein, on the contrary, is whipped too hard, then you can see small air bubbles in it, which break during the baking process and cause the baked goods to fall off. An indicator of a well-beaten protein is its increase by 5 times compared to the original volume, as well as a strong and fluffy foam that holds its shape.
In no case should you pour out all the sugar at once, since in this case it will immediately begin to spread and it will no longer be possible to achieve the desired shape and taste.
Granulated sugar should be added slowly and very gradually, while continuing to beat the whites. The optimal single dose of sugar that needs to be mixed with the protein mixture is ½ tsp. Sugar can be replaced with powdered sugar, which is believed to dissolve more easily, as a result of which you can obtain the desired consistency for whipping several times faster. When sugar is added to the whites, the mass becomes very stable, smooth and completely dense. This can be achieved in just a few minutes. However, there is no need to rush, because it is important that all sugar crystals are completely dissolved in the resulting foam.
Many novice housewives are faced with a situation where the whites and sugar are not whipped. If you follow the above recommendations, then this problem can certainly be avoided.
1. If you need protein, you can remove it from the egg by piercing it with a thick needle on both sides. The yolk will remain in the shell.
2. To separate the white from the yolk, use a paper funnel.
3. The egg white beats well if it is fresh and chilled. It is better to do this in a cool place.
4. The whites must be beaten in an enamel, ceramic or glass bowl (in no case in aluminum, as the whites will turn grey!).
5. The bowl for whipping must be absolutely dry, without a drop of fat. Not a drop of yolk or fat should get into the whites, otherwise the whites will not whip.
6. To beat the whites, you need to take a low-speed frame mixer (a mixer attachment in the form of a frame or intersecting frames).
Under no circumstances is a blender suitable for whipping cocktails!
7. Be sure to beat chilled fresh whites at the lowest speed.
As you beat, gradually increase the speed. If you beat quickly and use a different type of mixer, the whites will become liquid and will no longer beat.
8. Eggs that have been stored for a long time or are old become watery and do not beat well.
You can add a pinch of fine salt, a drop of citric acid or vinegar to them to improve the beating process, but it still won’t be the same. And for whipping it is better to take fresh eggs.
9. When whipping with a mixer, you need to make sure that the entire volume of the whites is involved in the whipping process (so that the mixer reaches the bottom of the bowl), otherwise it may happen that the whites at the bottom remain liquid.
10. If the whites are not whipped well enough, large air bubbles form in them, which burst when kneading the dough, and the finished products are not airy enough.
Overbeaten whites contain small air bubbles with thin walls. During the baking process, these bubbles burst and the biscuits fall off.
Well-beaten whites should increase several times (4-5 times) in volume and retain their shape (when laid out on a sheet, the whites should not spread, i.e., a “strong foam” should be obtained).
11. The moment you start adding sugar is very important; by this moment the whites should already be whipped quite well.
Don't throw out all the sugar at once! It will immediately dissolve, the proteins will become liquid and the intended product will no longer acquire the shape and taste you need.
Sugar needs to be added little by little, slowly, literally 1/4 teaspoon at a time (or even less). At the same time, the whites continue to beat.
12. For meringue (meringue), it is better to use powdered sugar - the ratio of sugar to whites is 1:4 (1 glass of sugar to 4 whites. Here, of course, the size of the eggs also plays a role).
If you take less sugar, the meringues (meringues) will be too viscous; if you take more sugar, they will be too brittle, very sweet and not so airy - they will not melt in your mouth, and it will seem like you have eaten too much pure sugar, and in chunks.
14. Beat the egg white into a foam with one pinch of salt or a small amount of lemon juice so steeply that the tip of the foam remains vertical when pulled up.
If you need to add sugar, the protein is first whipped until fluffy, then sugar is added to it, and then the whole mass is whipped until smooth and shiny.
15. Having completed the whipping process, place the whites on top of the cream or dough and carefully, in one direction, stir until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
In this case, the whipped whites should not be pressed, otherwise the air bubbles will be destroyed and the airy effect will be lost.
There are several global rules for whipping egg whites and sugar into a thick foam. Moreover, it should not only be thick, but also have a certain stability. Sometimes it happens that when mixing dough with proteins, the foam falls off and spoils the appearance of the finished baked goods.
This can be easily avoided by following a certain algorithm for the cooking process. It is also important to pay attention to the little things that only at first glance seem important.
How to beat egg whites correctly, for example, for a sponge cake?
Required ingredients:- a pinch of salt;
- 4 chicken eggs;
- 1 glass of sugar (or powdered sugar);
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or a pinch of citric acid.
1. The whipping container must be as clean as possible and must be dry. If it is even a little oily, then all efforts to beat the whites in advance will be futile.
2. Eggs should not be very fresh. To obtain protein foam, confectioners recommend using eggs that are “older” than 3 days.
3. Beating is best done with a mixer.
4. Do not use whites that contain yolk. This impairs the foam formation process.
5. Use acid. When using acid, it is possible to increase the stability of the foam due to its effect on the structure of proteins.
6. It is necessary to beat the whites at room temperature or chilled.
7. Sugar should be added at the stage when the foam is almost stable. It should be poured in 2-3 grams, gradually increasing the amount. The whites are whipped like this:
1. The whites are separated from the yolks. Placed in two separate containers.
2. Sugar is prepared.
3. Start beating the whites with a mixer. Add a pinch of salt. Foam will gradually begin to form. When the size of the bubbles is no longer large, you should start adding 3 g of sugar (this is about half a teaspoon).
4. Add citric acid. All this time, whipping continues until foam is obtained with peaks that do not fall.
Confectioners call this foam with stiff peaks. Here is a complete collection of tips and an action plan on how to whip egg whites and sugar into a thick foam for a sponge cake or meringue.
