How to Make Meringue

To make meringue, whip clean egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until soft peaks form, then add sugar a spoonful at a time and keep whipping until the mixture is stiff, glossy and smooth. Baked meringue uses about twice as much sugar as egg white by weight and dries slowly at 90–100 °C / 195–210 °F.

The science of the foam

Egg white is about 90 percent water and 10 percent protein. When you whip it, the whisk drags air into the liquid and stretches the proteins until they partly unfold. Their water-loving parts stay in the liquid and their water-avoiding parts point into the air, so they wrap each bubble in a thin, elastic film.

Sugar makes that film stronger. It dissolves in the water and turns it thick and syrupy, so the liquid drains out of the bubble walls much more slowly. It also slows the proteins from bonding too tightly, which prevents the dry, grainy look of overwhipped whites.

Add sugar too early, though, and it slows the foam from forming at all. That's why French meringue starts with plain whites and adds sugar only at soft peaks.

Ratios

For crisp baked meringues, use 2 parts sugar to 1 part egg white by weight. A large egg white weighs about 30–33 g, so:

Superfine (caster) sugar dissolves fastest. For a soft pie topping, you can drop to 1 to 1 1/2 parts sugar.

French, Swiss and Italian

• French. Sugar is whipped into raw whites. Lightest and easiest, best for meringue cookies, pavlova and folding into batters.
• Swiss. Whites and sugar are whisked in a bowl over simmering water until they reach 71 °C / 160 °F and the sugar is dissolved, then whipped until cool. Dense, silky and safe to eat unbaked. The base of Swiss meringue buttercream.
• Italian. Sugar syrup cooked to 118–121 °C / 245–250 °F (soft-ball stage) is poured in a thin stream into whites whipped to soft peaks. The most stable and glossy; used for macarons, mousses and torched pie toppings.

The steps below make French meringue cookies.

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 100 °C / 210 °F and line two trays with parchment. Use 90 °C / 195 °F with a fan.
2. Wipe the bowl and whisk with a little vinegar and separate the eggs cleanly. Any fat, including a speck of yolk, weakens the foam. Separate each egg over a small cup before adding the white to the bowl. Room-temperature whites whip faster.
3. Whip the whites with cream of tartar on medium until foamy. About 1 minute. The acid helps the proteins bond more evenly so the foam is less likely to collapse.
4. Increase the speed and whip to soft peaks. The peaks should droop over when you lift the whisk.
5. Add the sugar one spoonful at a time while whipping. Leave about 15 seconds between spoonfuls so each one starts to dissolve.
6. Whip to stiff, glossy peaks with no grittiness. Rub a little between your fingers; if it feels sandy, keep whipping. The meringue should hold a sharp, upright peak.
7. Pipe or spoon the meringue onto the trays. Small kisses take about 1 1/2 hours; large nests or pavlova take 2 or more.
8. Bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours until dry and crisp. They're done when they lift off the parchment cleanly and sound hollow when tapped. They should stay white or barely ivory.
9. Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool inside. Leave them for at least an hour with the door closed; slow cooling prevents cracks.

Common mistakes and fixes

• Whites won't whip. Fat in the bowl or yolk in the whites. Start over with a spotless glass or metal bowl.
• Dry, curdled-looking foam. Overwhipped before the sugar went in. Add sugar as soon as you reach soft peaks.
• Syrupy beads on baked meringue. Undissolved sugar or overbaking. Whip until smooth and keep the oven low.
• Sticky, chewy meringues. Underbaked or a humid day. Sugar is hygroscopic and pulls moisture from the air, so bake longer and store airtight.
• Browned or cracked shells. The oven was too hot or cooled too fast. Lower the temperature and cool in the oven.
• Pie meringue weeping a watery layer. The underside didn't cook. Spread meringue onto hot filling and seal it to the crust edge.

Food safety

Baked meringue cookies are cooked through. Soft toppings and uncooked French meringue may not be, so use Swiss or Italian meringue, or pasteurized eggs, for anyone at higher risk.