The ultimate meringue mix

Test Kitchen Tips:

• Go slowly and be patient when adding the sugar to the egg whites. Each tablespoon of sugar should be fully dis- solved before the next is added.
  

• Be careful not to over-whisk the meringue mixture: it’s ready when it’s thick, glossy, smooth and there are no more sugar granules. You can check this by rubbing a little mixture between your thumb and finger; if it feels gritty, keep mixing.
  

• Be sure to measure your ingredients carefully, including the egg whites as egg sizes do vary.
  

• Use fresh egg whites. Older egg whites tend to collapse when other ingredients are folded in, and they don’t rise well in the oven.
  

• Use eggs at room temperature. Cold egg whites tend to reduce meringue volume.
  

• Never let any yolk get into the whites.
  

• When whipping egg whites, always start your mixer on low medium-low to medium speed. Beat them until foamy and increase the speed to me- dium-high and then to high. If the egg whites are beaten too quickly at the beginning, the structure of the foam will not be as strong, and later the egg whites will not beat as high as they should.
  

• Don’t use plastic bowls — they can re- tain a film of fat from previously mixed or stored items that can deflate the meringue.
  

• Bake meringues at a low temperature as they tend to brown quickly.
  

• Leave hard meringues in the oven after baking; this will help them cool slowly and prevent cracking.
  

• Baked meringues should be stored in airtight, moisture-free containers.