Perfectly Whipped Egg Whites

If you do a lot of baking, then you know that some recipes like meringue, soufflés, angel food cake and macaroons all call for whipping egg whites to form stiff or soft peaks.  Why do we do this?  Beaten egg whites add volume and structure to our baked goods.

There are many things to consider before you even get started.  The age of your eggs matters a lot.  An older egg will whip up more than a fresher egg because of chemical changes that take place during aging.  Importantly, your egg whites should always be at room temperature for maximum volume during the whipping process.  The protein found in the whites expands more efficiently when used at room temperature.  Letting the eggs sit out for at least 30 minutes before using should be enough to get the chill off.  If you are in a hurry, you can place the eggs in a large bowl of very warm water (not hot) for 5-10 minutes. 

Once the eggs are at room temperature, they must be carefully separated.  The slightest speck of yolk in your whites will inhibit fluff.  Also, the equipment you use should be impeccably clean and dry.  Using a bowl that harbors oil, or beaters that are dripping wet will interfere with the formation of air bubbles.  Which leads us to the next, most important consideration; what type of bowl to use.

Most of us may not own a copper mixing bowl, but it is the best type of bowl for whipping egg whites.  Copper generates more volume and stability than other bowls due to its chemical reaction with the whites.  When using copper, you don’t need to add an acid to the whites. 

A stainless steel or glass bowl does not react like copper, and you will need to add an acid to achieve the same results.  Cream of tartar, lemon juice or vinegar will help stabilize and keep the air bubbles from popping once you stop beating.

An aluminum bowl is not recommended, as it will react with the acid and give the whites an un-appealing grayish color and bad taste.  Finally, a wooden bowl is out of the question as well.  Wood tends to harbor oil and other foods which will retard the whites from whipping up properly.

Once you have started whipping your egg whites, care must be taken not over beat them.  You know they have gone too far if they begin to look dry or start to liquefy again.  The stages to look for during whipping are foamy, soft peaks, stiff peaks.  If you are making meringue, you will only see the foamy and soft peak stages.  Once beaten, the whites must be used immediately or they will start to deflate.  They can’t stabilize anything if the air bubbles aren’t there.

People have wondered how powdered egg whites whip up compared to fresh ones.  Blended with a bit of water first, powdered eggs will whip successfully.  They are more convenient because you don’t have to go through the egg separating process first.  They also have a longer shelf life.  Wilton sells meringue powder in various sizes.  I keep it around during the holidays for making royal icing.  It’s great for cookies and making gingerbread houses.

If you follow these steps, you can successfully whip your egg whites into beautiful fluffy peaks every time.

Happy whipping,

Pam     

How to Bake a Soft, Chewy Cookie

Everyone seems to have their own preference when it comes to baking cookies.  There are people who like their cookies thin and crispy, cake-like, or soft and chewy.  I personally gravitate to the soft and chewy type.  But how does one achieve this?  That is one of the most frequently asked questions in the baking world.

To start off, let’s talk about measuring the flour.  Too much flour can be the culprit in many cases.  It can make the cookie hard, dry and cakey.  Using the “dip and swoop” method works the best.  Dip your measuring cup into the flour and fill it clear to the top.  Use the dull end of a butter knife and drag or swoop it across the top to even it out.  Some people are tempted to tap the measuring cup before swooping.  This can result in too much flour.  Also, I found that substituting part of the all-purpose flour with white bread flour helps to achieve a soft and chewy cookie.  I learned that tip from Alton Brown, cookbook author and T.V. personality on the Food Network.

The type of sweetener that you use in your cookies can make a big difference, too.  A cookie baked using only white sugar will be crunchier than one that has brown sugar.  Brown sugar has a bit of molasses in it to make it softer.  The molasses adds moisture to the cookie.  Adding honey, corn syrup, agave syrup or maple syrup also will help achieve chewiness.

If you are making cookie dough in hot or humid conditions, your dough may appear to be warm and soft.  If you bake with the warm dough, the cookies will  spread out too much and risk getting crispy.  That is also why you should let your cookie sheets cool completely before placing more cookie dough on them.  It’s best to chill the dough before baking in less than ideal conditions.

What I feel is the most important step in making soft and chewy cookies is the baking time.  Removing the cookies from the oven at just the right time will prevent hard or crispy cookies.  Over-bake them by only 1 or 2 minutes and you’ve lost them.  I recently started baking all of my cookies at 325 degrees.  I feel the slower bake helps them not to brown too quickly and stay soft.  The cookies are ready to come out of the oven when the middle is just set.  That is, the dough no longer looks shiny.  The cookies will continue to bake when you remove them from the oven.  Leave them on the baking sheet for 5-7 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. 

Finally, you must take care in storing your baked cookies.  Only store them in an airtight container once they have completely cooled.  Storing warm cookies can turn them mushy.

With a bit of practice, you can have a soft and chewy cookie every time.  Good luck!

Happy baking,

Pam

   

Sifting Dry Ingredients

How long has it been since you have used or even seen a hand sifter?  They made their mark in history years ago, but now they seem nearly extinct. 

There are those die hard bakers who refuse to work without them, but is it really necessary?  Today, packaged flours are pre-sifted which makes them ready to use right away.  While packaged flour does compact and settle a bit during storage, you may not have to sift it before using.  

One reason you might sift is if you live in a very humid area.   The flour could clump up a little more from the moisture in the air.  People used to sift their flour years ago to remove any....should I say "bug particles,"  but that's not so much a problem today.   If you are using sugar to roll your cookie dough in before baking, you may want to sift it to remove the little bits of dough or sugar clumps that develop while rolling.

What does sifting do?  It aerates the dry ingredients which helps the wet ingredients to combine thoroughly.  This is helpful if you are making something light and airy like angel food cake.  Leaveners like baking soda and baking powder clump easily and should always be sifted in with the flour.  Have you ever taken a bite of a baked good and saw a little white clump in the crumb?  That was probably baking powder or baking soda.

Another reason for sifting is that not every dry ingredient weighs the same or is ground the same.  If you are sifting all-purpose flour and sugar together, obviously the sugar is heavier.  Sifting helps to evenly combine all of the different particles.

When I bake, I don't use a hand sifter, but rather I use a wire whisk to aerate my dry ingredients.  This is much quicker and does a fine job.  But if you are going to use a hand sifter, be sure to measure out all of your dry ingredients first before sifting.

To answer the question, "to sift or not to sift," I would definitely sift if I was making a light or airy baked good.  Things like quick breads and cookies don't need to be sifted.  For me, I always use a whisk to aerate my dry ingredients, no matter what I am baking.  That way, I know the lumps will be few and far between.

Happy baking,

Pam      

How to Melt Chocolate

You are reading the recipe and it calls for melted chocolate.  What is the best way to achieve this?  It’s not as difficult as you may think.

The first thing to learn is that not all chocolate melts the same.  Semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate can be heated a little longer than milk and white chocolate.  This is because milk chocolate contains milk and white chocolate contains milk powder which can scorch easily.

It is believed that white chocolate is not chocolate at all.  Real chocolate must contain cocoa solids.  White chocolate contains cocoa butter.  Do not confuse white chocolate with white confectionery coating, which has other vegetable fats in it along with the cocoa butter that give it a more bland taste.

There are a couple of different ways to go about melting chocolate for your recipe.  One way is to use a double-boiler.  A double-boiler is like two saucepans in one.  The bottom pan is filled with a small amount of water.  The top pan is where you put the chocolate.  Make sure the water in the bottom never touches the top pan with the chocolate in it, or it could overheat.  To melt the chocolate faster, it is recommended that your chocolate be chopped up into small pieces before adding it.   Next, you should keep the water at a slow simmer.  Never cover the pan with a lid or you could risk condensation dripping in the chocolate.    Just one drop of water will cause the melted chocolate to seize or turn grainy and clumpy.  Stir the chocolate frequently as it is melting.  Wooden spoons are not recommended because they could hold moisture in them.  Only heat the chocolate until it is completely melted, then use immediately.

A much quicker way to melt chocolate is by using the microwave. The important thing to remember is to always use a microwave-safe bowl.  Bowls that are not microwave-safe will get much hotter and could overheat the chocolate.  If you microwave on high heat you will need to watch the amount of time you set it for.  Place the bowl of chopped chocolate pieces in the microwave and  heat for 1 minute.  Stir the chocolate and heat for 20-30 second intervals, stirring between each one, until the chocolate has melted.  Chocolate will usually retain its shape when melting, so the only way to know if it’s melted is by stirring it.  A lot of people think that when you melt chocolate it will look very runny.  The consistency is more like soft pudding.  If you are using the melted chocolate for dipping it may start to thicken up as it is cooling.  You can place the chocolate back in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to bring it back to the softer consistency.

Melting Chocolate with Liquids

Some recipes will ask you to melt the chocolate with liquids added, such as milk, cream, liqueur, or water.  Using liquids will help the chocolate to melt faster and help to keep it from overheating.  The amount of liquid used is very important.  Small amounts of liquid could cause the chocolate to seize, so you should use at least 1 Tablespoon of liquid for every 2 ounces of chocolate.   All of the liquid should be slightly warm and added all at once.   This will prevent the dry particles in the chocolate from binding together.

Why Does Chocolate Seize

Chocolate is a combination of cocoa butter, and dry particles from the sugar and cocoa.  When melted chocolate comes in contact with even just one drop of water, the dry particles become moist and turn into a clumpy mess.  The chocolate is no longer smooth and silky, but grainy and thick.  It is possible to fix  seized chocolate enough to be used in a recipe calling for melted chocolate.   Just stir in 1 Tablespoon of vegetable shortening for every 6 ounces of melted chocolate.  This will make it usable for adding to a recipe.

You can learn a lot more about chocolate from candy.about.com under "Everything You Need to Know About Chocolate."   Remember, just about anything tastes better if you dip it in chocolate!

Happy melting,

Pam