9
frosting easier than a knife or regular spatula.
EGG WHITES
• Egg whites at room temperature are best for
whipping. Bring to room temperature safely
by placing uncracked eggs in a bowl of
warm water for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add a small amount of acid such as cream
of tartar, lemon juice or vinegar when whip-
ping egg whites to stabilize them and allow
them to reach their optimum volume and
stiffness. Use
1
⁄
8
teaspoon cream of tartar per
large egg white – or 1 teaspoon cream of
tartar per cup of egg whites (8 to 10 large).
• The time required to whip egg whites will
vary with the temperature of the egg whites,
age of egg whites, and temperature/humid-
ity of the kitchen. Keep a close watch while
whipping egg whites.
• In humid or damp weather, you may not get
the volume of whipped egg whites that you
do in drier, warmer weather.
• Place the room temperature egg whites in
the clean, dry mixing bowl. Attach the clean,
dry chef’s whisk. Start whipping the egg
whites on Speed 1 and gradually increase to
Speed 6 until foamy, and then gradually in-
crease to Speed 12. If egg whites are beaten
too rapidly in the beginning, their structure
will not be as stable and strong, and they will
not reach the volume that they should when
completely beaten. Over-beaten egg whites
will also separate or deflate in a meringue
topping.
• Timing when adding sugar to egg whites is
important. Add sugar slowly and gradually
to the whipped egg whites once they start
to foam. Always add sugar in a slow, steady
stream along side of bowl while egg whites
are being whipped – do not add sugar
directly to the center of the bowl on top of
beaten egg whites; doing this may cause
them to deflate.
• When whipping egg whites, they will at
first appear foamy or frothy. Then they will
become stiffer and start to hold their shape.
Next, soft peaks will form – this is when
the tips of the peaks fall when the whisk is
lifted up – soft peaks are often required for
mousses or soufflés. The next stage is me-
dium to stiff peaks. This is used for recipes
such as meringues – the whites will appear
dry, the peaks will hold their shape and the
whites will be shiny. The final stage is stiff
and dry. The whites will not be uniformly
white, but will appear speckled and they will
no longer be shiny in appearance.
• Beaten egg whites should be used imme-
diately after beating them. If they wait for
longer than 5 minutes, they will begin to
deflate and lose volume and structure. Egg
whites beaten with sugar or cream of tartar
are more stable and will last a little longer.
SANITIZING EGG WHITES
Take care when adding raw egg whites to
recipes that are not cooked or baked as there
is a chance they may carry harmful bacteria.
If you have a recipe that calls for raw egg
whites, you may wish to use powdered egg
whites or “sanitize” the egg whites by doing
the following:
• Put the egg whites, 2 tablespoons of
the granulated sugar from your recipe, 2
tablespoons water, and a pinch of cream
of tartar into the Cuisinart
®
mixing bowl
and stir until smooth.
• Put over a pan of simmering water and
stir constantly with a spotlessly clean
rubber spatula until the mixture registers
160°F on an instant-read thermometer
– start checking the temperature after
about a minute of stirring.
• When the egg white mixture registers
160°F, dry off the bottom of the bowl and
place it on the Cuisinart
®
stand mixer.
Insert the chef’s whisk. Continue as
directed in your recipe.
WHIPPING CREAM
The difference between heavy cream and
whipping cream is the butterfat content. The
higher the butterfat content, the more stable
the whipped cream. Heavy cream has a higher
butterfat content than whipping cream does.
