do in drier, cooler 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 achieve soft peaks. Always add sugar in
a slow, steady stream along the 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 medium to stiff peaks. This is used for
recipes such as meringues – the peaks will
hold their shape, mostly drooping a bit at the
tips. These perfectly hold their shape and
are used for decorating. 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
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
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.
Creams that are not ultra-pasteurized are best
for whipping.
To make whipped cream:
• Start with well-chilled cream, mixing bowl
and chef's whisk (place bowl and whisk in
freezer for at least 15 minutes before making
whipped cream). The room should not be
too hot.
• Whip cream on low speeds until small
bubbles form – this will take about 30 sec-
onds. Gradually increase to Speed 12 and
continue beating until desired doneness,
being careful not to over-whip. It takes just
seconds for cream to go from smooth and
creamy whipped cream to whipped cream
with grainy bits of butter forming.
• If you are making a sweetened, flavored
whipped cream, begin to slowly add the
sugar and flavorings as the cream becomes
8
mixing bowl
®
stand mixer.
®