How do stiff peaks look like

Over-whipped cream will become grainy and curdled due to the separation of fats and liquids. Once this has happened, there is no turning back. You can only continue whipping it to create butter, or start with a fresh batch of cream. Another tell-tale sign is when your mixture becomes dry and clumpy, instead of smooth and silky. You can try saving it by adding another fresh egg white free of egg yolks or grease to the mixture and whisking it in until it is incorporated.

Folding whipped egg whites into cake batters is what gives baked goods such as Chiffon cakes and sponge rolls their light and fluffy textures. Please note, comments must be approved before they are published. Log in Create account. Soft Peak — When you turn your whisk upside down, the peaks are just starting to hold. To beat egg whites until they are stiff , use an electric mixer set on medium, or a rotary beater. Scrape the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula.

Continue to beat the eggs until the peak stands straight up when the beaters are lifted from the mixture. One of the most common mistakes is not beating the eggs long enough, or on too slow a speed, which means the egg whites won't reach stiff peak stage and instead only reach a soggy droopy stage.

Once your egg whites are overbeaten, they won't work properly in your meringue. Remember: if you do happen to be using a copper bowl, skip the cream of tartar. Over whip the egg whites and you risk making them too firm and they will risk losing the moisture that they hold.

This will affect your meringue's crispness, as well as making it more likely to collapse or weep beads of sugar. Watch for firm peaks 7 to 8 minutes. The trails in the cream will become stiffer and stiffer, and the cream will start to take on volume.

If you take your whisk out of the cream , the peaks in the whipped cream will hold firmly but have slightly softened tips. Before you start whipping, check your egg whites for any traces of yolk. The yolks are high in fat, and fat prevents the whites from foaming. If the bowl has any soap residue from washing, or if it has a film of fat from an earlier step in your recipe, your foam won't stiffen.

If the meringue mixture becomes flat or runny when the sugar is added then it usually means that the egg whites were not quite whisked enough before the sugar was added. It sometimes helps to whisk the whites, then add a tablespoon of sugar and whisk the whites back to medium peaks before adding the rest of the sugar. Let egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes so that they will beat up higher and faster than cold egg whites. The tiniest bit of fat or egg yolk will wreck a meringue , as fat interferes with the formation of good foam.

When separating eggs, if a speck of egg yolk falls into the egg whites, lift it out with an empty eggshell half. Continue to beat the eggs until the peak stands straight up when the beaters are lifted from the mixture. One of the most common mistakes is not beating the eggs long enough, or on too slow a speed, which means the egg whites won't reach stiff peak stage and instead only reach a soggy droopy stage. Once your egg whites are overbeaten, they won't work properly in your meringue.

Remember: if you do happen to be using a copper bowl, skip the cream of tartar. Over whip the egg whites and you risk making them too firm and they will risk losing the moisture that they hold. This will affect your meringue's crispness, as well as making it more likely to collapse or weep beads of sugar. Watch for firm peaks 7 to 8 minutes. The trails in the cream will become stiffer and stiffer, and the cream will start to take on volume.

If you take your whisk out of the cream , the peaks in the whipped cream will hold firmly but have slightly softened tips. Before you start whipping, check your egg whites for any traces of yolk. The yolks are high in fat, and fat prevents the whites from foaming. If the bowl has any soap residue from washing, or if it has a film of fat from an earlier step in your recipe, your foam won't stiffen. If the meringue mixture becomes flat or runny when the sugar is added then it usually means that the egg whites were not quite whisked enough before the sugar was added.

It sometimes helps to whisk the whites, then add a tablespoon of sugar and whisk the whites back to medium peaks before adding the rest of the sugar.

Let egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes so that they will beat up higher and faster than cold egg whites. The tiniest bit of fat or egg yolk will wreck a meringue , as fat interferes with the formation of good foam. When separating eggs, if a speck of egg yolk falls into the egg whites, lift it out with an empty eggshell half.

Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar. This binding substance helps the egg whites form into thick , glossy peaks. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with a hand mixer until the mixture is white and foamy with soft peaks.