How To Get Egg Whites Light, Fluffy

For some reason, spring breezes whet my appetite for lighter fare. I long for the fluffiness of a souffle, the foaminess of a meringue, even a spongecake or an angel food cake as a special family dessert.

The airiness of all these choices comes from beating egg whites to billowy heights. Over the years, I've learned how to separate and beat eggs to get the lightest and fluffiest dishes you can imagine. You can do it too, if you follow these simple egg beating basics.

Separating yolk from white

The easiest and safest way to separate eggs is with an egg separator, not with your hands or the eggshell itself. (You can buy egg separators in the cookware section of most department stores and some supermarkets.)

If you get yolk in the white, the white will not beat well. To keep the yolk from getting mixed with the whites, separate one egg white at a time over a custard cup or small bowl, then transfer the white to a mixing bowl and the yolk to another bowl. (You can freeze any leftover whites or yolks in an ice cube tray to use in another recipe.)

Eggs are easier to separate when cold, but the whites will beat to a better volume if you bring them to room temperature first. Let them stand about 15 to 30 minutes before beating.

Getting the most from egg whites

Egg whites will reach a greater volume when beaten than most other foods, including whipping cream, but they can lose that volume easily. For that reason, you need to add a stabilizing ingredient, such as cream of tartar, lemon juice or vinegar ( 1/8 teaspoon per egg white). Copper bowls will also stabilize egg whites. However, using a stainless steel or glass bowl with cream of tartar works just as well as a copper bowl.

Plastic and wooden bowls are not suitable for beating egg whites because they tend to absorb fat. Any film or residue in the bowl may prevent the whites from forming a stable foam, just as the fat in egg yolks will keep the whites from whipping. Salt also reduces the foaming ability of egg whites, so it's best to add it to other ingredients in the recipe.

Beating egg whites

When egg whites are beaten vigorously, they foam and increase in volume six to eight times. However, if they stand too long, the whites will lose air, shrink and drain. That's why you should beat the whites just before you're ready to fold other ingredients into them.

During beating, the egg whites will first become foamy, then they'll form soft peaks that curl at the tip. The last stage will be stiffness. Stiff peaks should stand straight when you lift the beaters, without being dry. The beaten whites should not slip in the bowl when tilted.

Egg whites beaten short of this stage will give less volume to your finished dish. Beaten past this stage, they will be more difficult to fold with other ingredients and will not expand properly when heated. To see if you've beaten the egg whites long enough, turn off the mixer occasionally. If the egg whites still slip and slide, beat a few seconds more and check again.

Handling beaten egg whites

When combining beaten egg whites with heavier mixtures, the heavier mixture should be folded, not beaten or stirred, into the egg whites. This helps the egg whites to retain their fluffiness.

To fold, pour the heavier mixture over the egg whites. Use a rubber spatula, whisk or spoon to stroke down into the bowl, across the bottom, and up over the top. Come up through the center of the mixture and rotate the bowl a quarter-turn every three or four strokes. Fold just until there are no streaks remaining in the mixture. Folding too much will reduce the fluffiness of your dish.

Beating egg yolks

Some recipes, such as souffles or spongecakes, call for beating egg yolks to thicken them. It will take about three to five minutes of beating with an electric mixer on high speed to get egg yolks to the thick and lemon-colored stage. At this point, the yolks will form ribbons when the beater is lifted.