Whipped proteins are used to prepare various confectionery products - biscuits, soufflés, meringues and, of course, meringues. The quality of the product depends on the quality of the foam. Many people wonder how to beat the whites correctly, and this is the right approach to business, because, without knowing some of the subtleties, you can waste time and products in vain.
The first thing to do is to carefully separate the yolks from the whites. If there is even a drop of the latter in the product, then you are doomed to failure in advance.
How to separate whites from yolks
Our grandmothers separated the whites from the yolks simply by gently breaking the shells with a knife or on the edge of a bowl, then poured all the contents into a flat plate and removed the yolk with their hands.
Our contemporaries have modernized this process, making it much easier: the yolk can be easily removed using a small plastic bottle, just holding it to the yolk and squeezing a little. Then the yolk is sucked in and just as easily transferred to another dish.
If there was no plastic bottle at hand, then you can separate the yolk from the protein in another simple way. At both ends of the eggshell, small holes are made through which the white is blown out. The yolk will remain in the shell.
You can separate the yolk from the protein by simply dividing the shell into 2 halves and pouring the contents back and forth over a bowl. In this case, the protein will drain into the dish, and the yolk will remain in the shell.
How to beat the whites
A few years ago, it was recommended to beat chilled whites, but recently the opinion of culinary specialists on this matter has changed. Now, before starting the procedure, it is recommended to keep the eggs at room temperature for several hours. But in fact, the structure of a chilled egg is denser, and it is more difficult to saturate it with oxygen.
It is best to beat the whites without using a mixer. A whisk or fork should be your helpers in this matter. If, after all, you lean towards the mixer, then choose a low speed, with nozzles made of criss-crossing frames. A cocktail blender will definitely not work.
It is important what material the dishes in which you will whisk the whites will be made of. For these purposes, ceramic, glass, enameled (no chips), ideally copper, are suitable. And under no circumstances - aluminum and plastic.
And, perhaps most importantly, the dishes must be perfectly clean and dry. Fat in any, even the smallest amount, will negate all the work.
You need to start whipping the whites at a low speed, then gradually increasing it. For impatient cooks, the proteins will become a liquid mass and will no longer churn.
The freshness of the eggs plays an important role. Old eggs will not whisk well. In any case, in the process of whipping, a pinch of salt or a few drops of lemon is added to the whites, but even this may not save the situation.
The entire protein mass should be involved in the whipping process. You need to grab the proteins with a whisk or fork to the very bottom, otherwise they will remain liquid at the bottom of the dish.
Whisk it into a strong foam. If it is not beaten well enough, that is, it has not increased by 4-5 times, then the resulting bubbles are large and burst, as a result of which the baked goods fall off.
The moment of adding sugar is very important. You cannot pour it all at once. Only a little (a quarter of a teaspoon) and in the process of beating. At this point, the foam should be airy enough.
For meringues or meringues, it is better to replace sugar with powdered sugar. It is important to observe the proportions - 4 proteins are taken per glass of sugar. With a lack of sugar, meringues will turn out to be viscous, with an excess - fragile and cloying.
For meringues or meringues, whisk the whites very steeply with a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice. The tip of the foam should remain upright when pulled. This is called whipping until peaks. If the addition of sugar is required, then you need to beat the whites until a fluffy foam, and only then add the sugar. At the same time, the whipping process continues until it is brought to homogeneity and shine.
