Side-by-Side Baking - French Meringues

If you've ever wondered if frozen egg whites produce a better meringue than fresh, or even pasteurised, then keep on reading. 

In this side-by-side comparison bake, I look at meringues, comparing egg whites in four different states to determine if one is better than the other.

About my Side-by-Side Baking Series

My side by side bakes are a series of experimental bakes focus upon one aspect of baking, techniques or ingredients. Comparing at least two batches to compare them Side-by-Side, to see if we can make our bakes even better or to see if there are some short cuts we can take, but still achieve great results.

They include How to make a perfect genoise cake, comparing 2 different methods and Side by side Split cake batter which looks at why a cake batter curdles and how to avoid it happening.

Avoiding food waste - Egg whites

It was after making my Rhubarb and Custard Genoise Cake, when I was left with numerous egg whites from the creme patisserie that meringues seemed to be a bake not far on the horizon. 

However, being a little short of time, and conscious that we had a wonderful cake to keep us happy, the egg whites were popped into the freezer for another day.

Usually, I just chill surplus egg whites in the fridge with the plan of making a pavlova, or similar, the following day.  I have to confess that there has been the occasional instance when that well-intentioned plan doesn't come to fruition and the egg whites end up being washed down the sink!  It's such a waste! especially when they could have been frozen. 

So on this occasion, having never used frozen egg whites for a meringue before, it occurred to me that meringues and egg whites in different states would be the perfect subject for our Side-by-Side Baking comparison.

To Use:

• Thawing -  Defrost the egg whites overnight in the fridge.
• Let the thawed whites come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before using, especially if you're whisking them into soft or stiff peaks.
• Only use thawed egg whites in recipes that will be fully cooked, meringues, macarons and cooked souffles.

Side-by-Side Baking - Making Meringues Fresh egg whites vs frozen egg whites vs fresh and frozen pasturised egg whites

The aim this side by side bake was to determine if there is a difference between the different egg whites and the results when using them to make meringues.

But first, before diving headlong into our baking comparison, let's talk meringues.

How to make Meringues

Occasionally, I read of people being put off making meringues.  Either because they may have had a mini disaster, or perhaps they don't feel to have the baking skills needed.

Well, first of all, can I say loud and clear, please don't be put off by making homemade meringue.  They really aren't difficult and you don't need any fancy kit like a stand mixer to make them either.

If you have a stand mixer you can use that with the balloon whisk attachment. But a handheld electric whisk is just as effective and I find it actually easier if you are only making a small amount of meringue with just 1 or 2 egg whites. 

Alternatively, a hand balloon whisk will do the job just as well with a little more time and elbow grease. 

Tips for making perfect meringues

Although meringues are easy to make, there a couple of golden rules to consider.  This is no doubt one of the reasons why people are put off trying to make their own, but honestly, they're not difficult 'rules' and following them will mean the difference between a good meringue and one which won't hold its shape.

• Ensure your bowl and beaters (whisk) are scrupulously clean and dry  - Any residue of fat, washing up liquid of even water could affect your meringue.  Just take an extra minute or so to prepare and checking the utensils before separating the eggs.  
• Separate the eggs carefully - For the same reason as above, take care when separating the white from the egg yolk. Egg yolks contain fat and any yolk getting into the white will affect your meringue. 
• Adding the sugar - You must add the sugar slowly as the sugar needs to dissolve into the egg white. If added too fast, undissolved sugar granules will cause weeping when you bake the meringues. They also reduce the volume of the whisked meringue.
• A little acid - in the form of lemon juice, vinegar or a pinch of cream of tartar will give the most stable meringue but is not essential.

Types of meringues

There are three types of meringues, French (classic), Swiss and Italian.  The ingredients remain the same, egg white and sugar, but the difference between them comes from how they are prepared and combined.

French (classic) Meringue 

This is arguably the easiest method to use.  The egg whites are whipped up in a bowl until soft peak stage.  The caster sugar is then added slowly, a teaspoon at a time, whilst the mixture continues to be beaten.  The mixture will become thick, smooth and glossy.   This is the method I have used for this Side-by-Side Baking comparison.

Swiss Meringue

This method sees the egg whites and sugar whisked together over a bain marie (water bath) and the sugar is added from the start.  James Martin, in his book Sweet, tells us that it produces a much firmer meringue and is ideal for lemon meringue pies, baked Alaska, and ice cream cakes, though I have also used it with great success in this Strawberry & Basil Pavlova.

Italian Meringue

This approach to meringues sees hot sugar syrup whisked into the foamy egg whites.  The method clearly takes a little more effort but results in a more stable meringue which can be eaten without being baked, as such it's the perfect method for frostings like Italian butter cream.

Making French meringues side by side

The Four Batches

This comparison bake includes four batches of meringue kisses made with egg whites in four different states, the aim being to identify if there is a difference between fresh, frozen and pasteurised egg whites when making a meringue.

• Batch 1 -Fresh egg whites.
• Batch 2 - Egg whites which had been frozen, and then defrosted in the fridge overnight.
• Batch 3 - Pasteurised egg whites.
• Batch 4 -  Pasteurised egg whites which had been frozen and then defrosted overnight.

Method for the test bakes

With all of my side-by-side bakes, I aim to go about the bake methodically and consistently aiming to keep each batch identical in terms of how the mixtures are created, the ingredient weights and ratios, and how it was then baked. So that as much as possible, the only difference between the bakes is what is being tested.  

So each batch:

• Was made using the same weight of ingredients (the egg white of batch 1 was weighed and this value was matched in the subsequent batches).
• The egg whites which had been frozen (from a fresh egg and pasteurised) were defrosted overnight in the fridge before being used.
• The frozen egg whites were stored in identical containers.
• The same quantity and brand of sugar was added.
• The bowls, beaters and piping bag and nozzle were cleaned and dried thoroughly between each batch.
• The same same hand held whisk was used at the same speed.
• The sugar was added a teaspoon at a time once the egg whites had passed the foaming stage and were thickening.
• The meringue used to make small meringue kisses.
• The same star piping nozzle was used.
• The meringue kisses baked at the same temperature, in the same part of the oven and for the same amount of time.
• The were cooled undisturbed for the same period of time.

The Results

Well, on the face of it I have to admit that there appeared to be no appreciable difference between the four batches of meringue kisses made other than a slightly longer time required to whip up the pasteurised egg whites (both fresh and frozen).

However, once the images of the batches were viewed, it became clear that there was a difference!

Below is a collage of the four batches of meringue kisses prior to baking.

....and after the bake.

Comparing the batches I observed that whilst unbaked all batches had well-defined ridges created by the star piping nozzle. However, after baking batches 1 and 2, (those made with the non-pasteurised egg whites) produced a much better meringue in terms of the definition. 

This distinction definitely wouldn't be as apparent had a plain nozzle or spoon been used to create the meringue kisses.

The second visual difference I noticed was that the pasteurised egg whites (batches 3 & 4) picked up a slight golden colour during the bake.  Frustratingly in the photographs in the collage above it looks like batch 1 also has a slight colour to it, but I can confirm that to the naked eye only batches 3 & 4 had coloured. 

Of course, whether this matters depends on what you're baking and the effect you're aiming for.

The final noticeable difference was the variation in texture of the cooked meringue kisses.  Batches 1 and 2 produced beautiful melt in the mouth meringues, which were very moreish. 

Those created from the pasteurised egg had a much firmer texture to them which I can only compare to shop-bought meringue nests.  

In my opinion, batches 1 and 2 were far more enjoyable to eat.

The egg whites and the meringues

Batch 1

Batch 1 was created from fresh egg whites.  It produced a French meringue which was glossy and stiff, which is evident by the detail created from the star shaped piping nozzle.  It was also a pleasure to eat. 

Batch 2

This batch of meringue kisses was created from egg whites which had been frozen for a month and then defrosted in the fridge overnight before being whipped up into a French meringue. Again the meringue shape has retained a lot of detail from the star-shaped piping nozzle.  This was also a pleasure to eat.

Batch 3.

Batch 3 was made with pasteurised eggs, a product I've never used before though one which clearly has its benefits.   Although it soon created a foam, the meringue took a little longer to achieve a firm, glossy state in comparison to batches 1 and 2.  This was only marginal, though it may be worth considering that the extended beating time may become more exaggerated when making larger quantities than the equivalent of 1 egg white used in each batch here.

They lost some of the definition during baking and the meringue was less enjoyable to eat as the texture was more like the texture of shop bought meringue nests than homemade meringues.

Batch 4

This final batch was made with frozen pasteurised egg whites.  This meringue like batch 3 took a little longer to whip up.  Though it produced an acceptable meringue, which held its shape during the piping and bake, it was less defined than that of a meringue made with non-pasteurised eggs. 

Again, like batch 3, the texture of these meringue kisses resembled that of shop bought meringue nests, which for me, is less enjoyable than a homemade meringue.

Notes

Two Chicks pastuerised eggs whites were used for this test bake, which are available from most large supermarkets in the UK. They are available as free range or organic egg whites.

I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by those meringues made with the pasteurised egg whites, particularly those which had been frozen.

The packaging of the Two Chicks pasteurised egg whites tells us that although the product can be frozen for up to 2 years, it remarked that 'freezing may cause the whisking property to be reduced'.  This was something which was echoed in this article, which tells us that pasteurised egg whites will only create a stiff meringue once cream of tartar or lemon juice is added.  Despite having some lemon juice to hand whilst making these batches I opted not to add it as the meringue did whip up nice and thick.  It may also be interesting to note here that the Two Chick pasteurised product does contain a thickener (guar gum) which may, perhaps, have aided the meringue.

Conclusion

All four batches of French meringue produced an acceptable meringue. However, I think those made with fresh eggs or frozen fresh egg made the best meringues. So while pasturised egg whites have their place, in my opinion this is not the best use for them.

I'm delight to find that the frozen fresh egg white produced equally as good or possibly even better results than fresh egg whites.

No more wasted egg white for me, next time I have a recipe that only uses the yolk into the freezer the whites will go.!

📖 Recipe

If you have been left wondering how I used our mini mountain of meringues, then check out our Mini Raspberry and White Chocolate Meringues, they were simply delicious!