Advice from meringue experts?

Question

I'm a pretty experienced cook, except when it comes to baking. My husband likes meringue cookies, and I downloaded some recipies that seemed simple enough, except they didn't turn out like they're supposed to. I know the basic theory of meringue but I'm not good at it. It just doesn't seem fluffy enough, and when dried in the oven the cookies seem soft instead of crisp.

What could I be doing wrong? Adding the sugar at the wrong time? Over or under beating? Oven-drying at the wrong temp? I'd appreciate some advice on meringue, especially for cookies.

Answer 1

Any type of oil or grease will deflate whipped egg whites. This includes plastic bowls, rubber or silicone spatulaas, or Silpat baking sheets. Anything derived from fat (plastic) will deflate them.

Make sure you have no specks of egg yolk in yoru whites; they will not whip properly.

Most recipes w/ whipped egg whites should call for cream of tartar to be added while whipping. This helps stabilize the whites. If your recipes doesn't call for them, add ¼-½ tsp per about 3-4 egg whites.

And as far as chewy goes, that sounds like moisture to me. If you are in a humid climate, run your heat or A/C to remove moisture from the air. If these are the type of cookies you leave in the closed oven overnight, they may well be absorbing moisture during that time. Maybe bake early AM and take out by noon.

Answer 2

There could be alot of different things. Is it possible to say how long they were baked and at what temp?
Anyhow you add your sugar slowly in a super clean bowl but only after your whites take on a a slight foamy appearance. Meringues can go wrong in a lot of ways if you under or over beat them they tend to ooze a syrup that can appear on your meringue as a bead or there may be a puddle. If you see this it's because the sugar hasn't dissolved. Undissolved sugar will give your meringues a grainy appearance.
If you cook your meringues in too high a temperature it cooks a tad too quick and also rids of water out of the egg white proteins and it doesn't evaporate as quick and that too causes the syrup beading. To high a temperature can also cause the meringues to rise then fall and crack or discolour the "white" appearance.
Humidity is bad which causes meringues to suck up the moisture in the air and they can become soft and sticky. It is best to always transfer the meringues from the oven once cooled to an airtight container and serve them as soon as possible once removed from the container.

Answer 3

I wonder if you didn't have the egg whites whipped stiffly enough to begin with (but don't over-beat them because the product will be too dry). It also sounds like you might have needed a bit more time to bake them. As someone else suggested, use a lower temp for a longer time. Meringues should dry out for a longer period of time. As with a lot of things, it all takes practice ... trial & error.

I use a copper bowl and a big balloon whisk when I do my egg whites, but of course, a hand-held electric mixer works fine, too. If you don't use copper, be sure to add a bit of cream of tartar and a pinch of salt to help stabilize the egg whites.

Answer 4

Make sure the egg whites are clean of any and all yolk. Use a squeaky clean glass or stainless steel bowl, chilled.
Start whipping the egg whites and slowly add the sugar and vanilla extract (don't use fake vanilla). Also, add a teaspoon of cream of tartar powder.
Whip egg whites thoroughly until they are very stiff...do not overwhip.
Higher altitudes can affect baking as well.
Try that and see if it helps. Newer eggs whites, fresh eggs, don't make very good merangue.
Another thing you could try is baking the merengue cookies at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. It will be more like drying the cookies instead of baking them.
Good Luck.

Answer 5

Aluminum bowl and cream of tarter usually helps with the perfect consistency for meringue.

Answer 6

http://www.thomhackett.com/Recipes/grannys-meringue.htm

I think the following site will answer all your problems on how to make the perfect meringue cookies. goodluck and happy baking
http://www.joyofbaking.com/MeringueCookies.html

Answer 7

Heres your tissues...=)...Oh the world would of been a much different place without me in it for you,just glad I could help Babe..=)