How to beat egg whites
Beat egg whites is very common in cooking and pastry, here are some tips to get there easily.
551 K 3.5/5 (109 reviews)
5 min.
Easy
2 eggs whites
2 IngredientsLast modified on: February 21th 2011
For 2 eggs whites, you will need:
2 
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 5 min.
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 5 min.
They should be beaten at high speed.
If they are for savoury or neutral preparations (i.e. without sugar), add a teaspoon of lemon juice before starting to beat to prevent them "going grainy" which can happen with very fresh egg whites.
If they are for sweet preparations (for meringues for example), incorporate 2 tablespoons of caster sugar from the total sugar you plan to add, halfway through beating, which makes it much easier to beat and to incorporate the remaining sugar.
If they are for savoury or neutral preparations (i.e. without sugar), add a teaspoon of lemon juice before starting to beat to prevent them "going grainy" which can happen with very fresh egg whites.
If they are for sweet preparations (for meringues for example), incorporate 2 tablespoons of caster sugar from the total sugar you plan to add, halfway through beating, which makes it much easier to beat and to incorporate the remaining sugar.
Stage 2
Beating egg whites incorporates air, which creates a foam made up of ever smaller bubbles of air and drops of white (albumen + water), see the microscope photo on right.
This fact give us some rules for egg whites:
This fact give us some rules for egg whites:
- Fresh egg whites give better results that old ones, because they contain more water.
- If you add water or a liquid which contains some (fruit juice, ...) to egg whites to be beaten, you will have a greater volume of foam.
- Fat is the enemy when beating egg whites, because it obstructs or prevents the formation of foam, so it's necessary to be sure that the egg whites contain no traces of yolk (not a drop), and that the container that you're going to use is completely clean (be particularly careful with plastic bowls).
Keeping: 1 hour bfore use.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 3 RDI=1 % | 0 | 0 | 10 RDI=1 % | 50 RDI: 1 % |
| Per 100 g | 4 RDI=2 % | 0 | 0 | 20 RDI=1 % | 90 RDI: 1 % |
| Per egg whites | 1 RDI=1 % | 0 | 0 | 6 RDI=0 % | 30 RDI: 0 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 2 eggs whites : 0.20 €
- Per egg whites : 0.10 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Egg white
Like these other recipes: Chocolate mousse with hazelnuts, Ice-cream Vacherin, Two-coloured chocolate-orange tart, Amiens macaroons, Hazelnut and orange cake, ... See them all 52
Lemon juice
Like these other recipes: Tapenade, Rémoulette dressing, Corn salad with croutons, Julia salad, Sea bass with coriander cream en papillote, ... See them all 70
Other recipes you may also like
Moussaka
Here is my personal version of this famous recipe from the eastern Mediterranean. It's a kind of gratin, made with layers of aubergines, cooked meat with tomatos and bechamel sauce with cheese.August 1st 2011372 K 14 2 hours 55 min.
Pains briochés aux raisins
This classic French "viennoiserie" is a sweet bun containing confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière) and rum-soaked raisins. It demands a bit of skill, but is not too complicated.September 12th 2018135 K4.8 2 hours 40 min.
Sunday night pasta
Here's a quick and simple solution when faced with the age-old question late on Sunday afternoon: "What are we going to eat tonight?".December 30th 201969 K4.8 30 min.
Plum tart "En passant par la Lorraine"
This tart - with a nod to the French children's song - features produce the Lorraine region is famous for: plums and hazelnuts. The small, sweet mirabelles contrast with the larger plums and make the most of the different varieties.September 1st 201940 K 1 hour 60 min.
Strawberry and kiwi fruit salad
This is a simple recipe, but quite delicious. The flavours and colours of strawberries and kiwis combine to create a refreshing and colourful summer fruit salad.July 22th 202036 K 20 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-11-24)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 5 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.