The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Snooks]

You diagnosed your problem perfectly. The electric whisk is much too heavy handed for delicate beaten egg whites. It pushes all the air out of them and the results, as you saw, are not good. Macaroons are specially sensitive, as it has to be mixed just enough after the egg whites are added (but a little over or under mixed macaroons are still delicious).

Use a mixing spoon and mix just enough to incorporate the egg whites.

I used a spatula (as advised in the recipe) not the electric whisk, was wondering if the whisk might have been safer!

I normally do round the edge and cut through the middle.  First time I added the egg whites but they just didn't seem to combine properly.  Second one said to fold the flour and almonds into the beaten whites.

[lady_disdain]

You diagnosed your problem perfectly. The electric whisk is much too heavy handed for delicate beaten egg whites. It pushes all the air out of them and the results, as you saw, are not good. Macaroons are specially sensitive, as it has to be mixed just enough after the egg whites are added (but a little over or under mixed macaroons are still delicious).

Use a mixing spoon and mix just enough to incorporate the egg whites.

Also, it probably helps to make sure your bowl is spotless and doesn't have any sort of greasy film on the inside. I know that's only strictly necessary for meringue, but I like to make sure the bowl's as clean as it can get when I work with egg white. Any grease can mess with the incorporation of air.

I like to wipe the bowl with a little vinegar before starting, to degrease.

[Outdoor Girl]

When I'm folding something in, I like to use a large spatula and run it under all the ingredients, across the bottom of the bowl, bringing the stuff from the bottom and folding it over like an omelette onto the top.  Then I'll spin the bowl a bit and do it again.

The secret is not to work it too much.  It is better to leave it less than perfectly mixed than to mix it too much.

[Elisabunny]

The kosher restriction against milk with meat: how far does it go?  Can chicken or fish be served with milk or cheese, or does it apply to all living creatures?  And if it only applies to mammals, could you get around it by only drinking and eating milk products from cows, but never eating beef? 


(Why, yes, I in fact did have insomnia last night. )

[Hmmmmm]

I'm this >< close to giving up on baking anything containing egg whites.  eHellions please help me, I'm obviously doing something stupid when it comes to dealing with them.

Recipe 1 - custard tart required me to fold beaten egg whites into egg yolk/sugar mix - served my family lumpy custard tart for Easter
Recipe 2 - lemon macaroons required me to fold flour and ground almonds into egg whites - baked myself some stick pancakes

When a recipe calls for me to fold something in, is there any reason that I can't use my electric whisk?

You need to fold not whisk egg whites into batters. Start by "lightening" your batter by stirring in about a 4th of the egg whites into the batter. Then add the batter to the eggs whites and fold into the egg whites. A whisk will over work the egg whites causing them to deflate. Look for a YouTube video on folding.

[Thipu1]

The kosher restriction against milk with meat: how far does it go?  Can chicken or fish be served with milk or cheese, or does it apply to all living creatures?  And if it only applies to mammals, could you get around it by only drinking and eating milk products from cows, but never eating beef? 


(Why, yes, I in fact did have insomnia last night. )

According to certain relatives who keep kosher, turkey lasagna with cheese is perfectly fine.  According to their belief, 'fleisch' comes from mammals that 'chew the cud'.  Poultry isn't considered meat and can be eaten with dairy. 

In the Catholic tradition, things were a little bit different.  Any creature that was warm-blooded was considered meat and couldn't be eaten on Catholic fast days. 

[Slartibartfast]

The kosher restriction against milk with meat: how far does it go?  Can chicken or fish be served with milk or cheese, or does it apply to all living creatures?  And if it only applies to mammals, could you get around it by only drinking and eating milk products from cows, but never eating beef? 


(Why, yes, I in fact did have insomnia last night. )

According to certain relatives who keep kosher, turkey lasagna with cheese is perfectly fine.  According to their belief, 'fleisch' comes from mammals that 'chew the cud'.  Poultry isn't considered meat and can be eaten with dairy. 

In the Catholic tradition, things were a little bit different.  Any creature that was warm-blooded was considered meat and couldn't be eaten on Catholic fast days.

Depends greatly on the person in question, just like Christian prohibitions against dancing, alcohol, instrumental music, etc. are okay in some churches/denominations and not others.  The kosher dining facility at my university (Jewish life center) was very specific about some days being dairy-only and some days being meat-only, to avoid any issues with stricter interpretations of dietary laws.  (They also did have completely separate kitchens for the two, so that was probably an issue as well - not enough staff for both kitchens on the same night!)

[Elfmama]

The kosher restriction against milk with meat: how far does it go?  Can chicken or fish be served with milk or cheese, or does it apply to all living creatures?  And if it only applies to mammals, could you get around it by only drinking and eating milk products from cows, but never eating beef? 


(Why, yes, I in fact did have insomnia last night. )

According to certain relatives who keep kosher, turkey lasagna with cheese is perfectly fine.  According to their belief, 'fleisch' comes from mammals that 'chew the cud'.  Poultry isn't considered meat and can be eaten with dairy. 

In the Catholic tradition, things were a little bit different.  Any creature that was warm-blooded was considered meat and couldn't be eaten on Catholic fast days.

Unless it was certain parts of the Middle Ages.   Dolphins/porpoises were considered 'fish' because they swam in the water.  Most geese were meat, except for one that was called a 'barnacle goose' which was believed to develop from driftwood!

[Tea Drinker]

The kosher rules are complicated, and as noted are interpreted differently by different people, but fish doesn't count as meat for those purposes: it can be served with meat or with milk. (The category is called "pareve" and also includes fruit, vegetables, grain, and eggs.)

Now, to complicate the explanation: some fish aren't kosher at all (I think it has something to do with the scales), and the things that we call "shellfish," such as shrimp, lobster, and crabs, are neither fish nor kosher. But if a fish is kosher, the kosher rules allow it to be served with either milk or meat.

(Note: I am not remotely observant, but I've had relatives who kept kosher, and my girlfriend follows the rules to do with seafood, so I know a little about it.)

[ladyknight1]

Egg whites should be whipped in a glass or metal bowl. Plastic bowls tend to have some property that keeps the egg whites from whipping properly. I always add a bit of Cream of Tartar to the egg whites as well to help them keep their buoyancy. I recommend using a light hand and a thin spatula for the folding process.

[Xandraea]

Egg whites should be whipped in a glass or metal bowl. Plastic bowls tend to have some property that keeps the egg whites from whipping properly. I always add a bit of Cream of Tartar to the egg whites as well to help them keep their buoyancy. I recommend using a light hand and a thin spatula for the folding process.

I think this is because metal or glass stays colder, which assists in making eggs light and airy.

[Minmom3]

It's my understanding that it's also because the plastic bowl is nearly impossible to fully degrease.  I've run plastic bowls through a dishwasher and still had some grease remain on them - which interferes with the fluffing of the whites.

OT - plastic is VERY hard to clean.  Many cats get acne on their chins due to the difficulty of really cleaning off those bowls.  Even when run through the dishwasher frequently, enough bacteria can remain on the bowls to cause problems, due to the porosity of the surface.  Glass, ceramic or steel bowls are not that porous, hence easier to really clean off.  Plastic has its uses, don't get me wrong (there's plenty of it in MY home...) but it also has its limits.

[Snooks]

Egg whites should be whipped in a glass or metal bowl. Plastic bowls tend to have some property that keeps the egg whites from whipping properly. I always add a bit of Cream of Tartar to the egg whites as well to help them keep their buoyancy. I recommend using a light hand and a thin spatula for the folding process.

I suspect the light hand is my problem!  I will take on board everyone's advice. When Googling I found a suggestion tofold with a balloon whisk to keep the air in so maybe I'll try that too.

OT I'm sad about the cats with acne.

[wheeitsme]

Egg whites should be whipped in a glass or metal bowl. Plastic bowls tend to have some property that keeps the egg whites from whipping properly. I always add a bit of Cream of Tartar to the egg whites as well to help them keep their buoyancy. I recommend using a light hand and a thin spatula for the folding process.

I suspect the light hand is my problem!  I will take on board everyone's advice. When Googling I found a suggestion tofold with a balloon whisk to keep the air in so maybe I'll try that too.

OT I'm sad about the cats with acne.

Also, if you are folding beaten egg whites and dry ingredients like flour, it's best to sift some of the dry ingredients onto the whites, fold until slightly incorporated, then more.  I prefer 2-3 siftings, tops.

[dawnfire]

Egg whites should be whipped in a glass or metal bowl. Plastic bowls tend to have some property that keeps the egg whites from whipping properly. I always add a bit of Cream of Tartar to the egg whites as well to help them keep their buoyancy. I recommend using a light hand and a thin spatula for the folding process.

plastic bowls can absorb, flavors and oils from previous usages