I believe a lot of people think that baking meringues is quite a daunting task. I was one of those people. After 2 unsuccessful attempts, I’ve finally figured out the way to get perfect meringues, every single time and there are just two things:
1. Vinegar
2. Patience
Why vinegar? Use it to rinse your mixing bowl & beaters to get rid of traces of grease. This is important as apparently grease prevents the egg whites from fluffing up or something. No need to soak them in vinegar, just a couple of dashes into the bowl and onto the beaters, rub them around, rinse off and wash again with ordinary dish washing liquid. Then, dry them with kitchen towels.
As for patience…as long as you can keep your mind pre-occupied with something else for 2.5 hours other than “eat meringues now”, you’re just a step away from baking perfect meringues as far as I’m concerned, hehe.
So have you established whether you’ve got the 2 items that would ensure your meringue baking success? If you do, great! Now lets move on to the actual ingredients for meringues. Coincidentally, there are only two as well…….
- 3 egg whites
- 300 grams of sugar
# – Firstly, separate the egg yolks from egg whites. Don’t throw away the yolks, you can use them for other cookings.
# – Be patient with your camwhoring boyfriend who’s supposed to be taking pictures of you only. By the way, that’s how I look while separating eggs…INTENSE!
# – Beat the egg whites until they’re shiny & fluffy.
# – Kind of like this….
# – Now, gradually add the sugar while still beating the eggs. You will notice the fluff starts to get glossier and thicker.
# – You can stop beating when the mixture is glossy and stiff. Stick your index finger in and rub it against your thumb, if there’re still grainy bits of sugar, continue beating until sugar has completely dissolved. I’m not the extreme type though, I don’t mind slightly grainy meringues ;)
# – Time for piping. Next, spoon the mixture into a freezer bag. Or, if you’ve got one, use a proper piping bag.
# – Nip off one corner of the bag.
# – Pipe the mixture onto a slightly greased baking tray. You can use ordinary cooking oil which is generally tasteless.
# – This is the time to be creative.
# – Obviously, we had a bit of fun with the makeshift piping bag.
If you’re making pavlova, you can also put a large dollop onto the baking tray and then spread it with a spatula for a nice meringue nest.
# – Now stick it in your pre-heated oven at 110 degrees celcius for 2.5 hours.
Watch a movie, play with your dog, take a bath. Do something. Just don’t open your oven and probe the meringues.
# – 2.5 hours later. Slight cracks on the meringues are normal.
# – Bite into one. Firm, and powdery sweet :D
# – Meringues!!! DONE!
Our favourite way to eat meringues is with chopped sweet mangoes and a dollop a cream, which is basically mango version of Eton Mess. Put them in your ice cream for a nice, sweet crunch or even, eat them on its own. Why not? :D
Remember, vinegar and patience.