How to beat egg whites
Beat egg whites is very common in cooking and pastry, here are some tips to get there easily.
579 K 3.5/5 (109 reviews)
5 min.
Easy
0.40 €
4 eggs whites
2 IngredientsLast modified on: February 21th 2011
For 4 eggs whites, you will need:
- 1
4 egg whites - 2
½ teaspoon lemon juice (optional) - Total weight: 120 grams
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 5 min.
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - ⌛ 5 min.
Whisk at high speed.
You can add a teaspoon of lemon juice before you start beating to prevent them from "graining" (forming small grains), which can happen with very fresh egg whites.
If the egg whites are to be sweetened (for meringues, for example), add 2 tablespoons of the sugar halfway through the whipping, to support them and help them rise.
You can add a teaspoon of lemon juice before you start beating to prevent them from "graining" (forming small grains), which can happen with very fresh egg whites.
If the egg whites are to be sweetened (for meringues, for example), add 2 tablespoons of the sugar halfway through the whipping, to support them and help them rise.
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).
Remarks
Contrary to popular belief, adding a pinch of salt to the egg whites before beating them doesn't help.
Keeping: 1 hour bfore use.
Source: Home made.
How much will it cost?
- For 4 eggs whites : 0.35 €
- 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: Italian Meringue, Spicy hot toasted cashew nuts, Amiens macaroons, Chocolate mousse, Almond dacquoise, ... See them all 54
Other recipes you may also like
Snow peas sautéed in butter
Here's a quick and easy recipe for spring, when snow peas arrive on the shelves, and it's so simple and delicious just to sauté them in butter with a chopped shallot. This can be a stand-alone dish, or a side dish for meat or fish. June 2nd 202426 K 30 min.
Warm apple feuillantines
It's a rather long recipe but which never fails to impress, perfect for a special dinner party. It's made up of 3 circles: one almond "tuile", 2 of caramelized brik sheets, with a caramelized apple layer between each, whipped cream on top, and custard all around. Everything, except whipped cream, can be made beforehand. May 28th 2012341 K5 3 hours 9 min.
Fresh mint ice-cream
This well-flavoured ice-cream is excellent on its own, or in profiteroles with a chocolate sauce for example. February 21th 2011549 K4.6 1 hour 35 min.
Brioche dough
It's a soft and rich dough, with butter and eggs which give a smooth and incredibly tasty brioche. This is the basic recipe for brioche dough, used for all other brioche-based recipes on the site. September 16th 2020551 K 44.2 14 hours 30 min.
Citrus crunch
These are fine crumbs of candied citrus peel. It can be used to sprinkle a dessert or other preparation to add both crunch and the flavour of the chosen citrus fruit. It is easy to prepare well in advance, and will keep in an airtight jar. This recipe is given for clementines, but can be made with all citrus fruits: lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit... February 2nd 2016250 K3.7 1 hour 20 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-03-15)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 6 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.