What is the method and ingredients for making small hard meringues using a whipped cream charger? How do I combine the ingredients in the charger prior to whipping? Please help - I can't find this anywhere.
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4I think the reason you're not finding anything is because the answer is "you don't". Meringue needs much more air incorporated than a whipped cream charger is capable of. Plus there's the whole "whip alone, then add sugar" aspect, which I'm sure is more than mere superstition.– MartiJul 9, 2013 at 16:15
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1It's not just that it takes more air. It's that the beating process denatures the egg proteins, creating the structure necessary to hold in all that air.– slimJul 9, 2013 at 16:16
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2I have never heard of a charger being used for this purpose and suspect, as others, that it is not possible. Typically you need a high fat content to use a whipper successfully; they are tolerant to certain gelling agents and stabilizers like gelatin or dextrose, but only to a point. Egg whites have zero fat, and they need a long time and a gentle start to whip, which isn't really what the cream whippers are good at.– AaronutJul 9, 2013 at 20:59
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4 Answers
Actually, this can be done but it may not be convenient to do if you aren't in a restaurant setting where this can streamline your process. If you take equal parts egg whites and sugar, beat them together, cook at 74C for 30minutes and then transfer them to the siphon and charge with 4 cartridges, dispense to desired shape, and then bake at 150C until set (this will vary depending on size and shape) you should be good to go.
As I said, this is about the same as doing it the old fashioned way, time wise.
As the comments above have summarized, this probably is not practically possible.
Egg whites form a foam when the proteins are coagulated, trapping the water in a film that holds the air bubbles. This may require extended mechanical emulsification not provided by the pressurized gas.
Aaronut also notes that in regard to the pressurized devices:
Typically you need a high fat content to use a whipper successfully; they are tolerant to certain gelling agents and stabilizers like gelatin or dextrose, but only to a point. Egg whites have zero fat, and they need a long time and a gentle start to whip, which isn't really what the cream whippers are good at.
Note that I wikid this so I am not farming rep; feel free to edit and clarify.
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"This requires extended mechanical agitation not provided by the pressurized gas." maybe an unsubstantiated statement. At the right eggwhite temperature (presumably, near coagulation point ~60C, and given a fine enough mesh to create micro-bubbles, it may be possible to create highspeed egg foam. I have seen Jose Andreas make fat-less protein based foam in whip cream dispensers. But unsure under which conditions you can get meringue. Wouldn't go as far saying it's emphatically impossible. Jul 10, 2013 at 2:11
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@MandoMando, its a wiki, edit away if you have better information. I just transferred the comments down so there is an actual answer. But the question is probably about the actual commercially available toys, not hypothetical ones. I added the word "practically" before possible.– SAJ14SAJJul 10, 2013 at 2:27
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made some small suggestion changes to soften the position, feel free to roll back ;) Have a gut feeling it is possible using commercially available dispensers, but it's the stuff Dave Arnold and Jose Andreas are better geared to tackle. Jul 10, 2013 at 3:12
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I can add some experimental corroboration. I had a couple of attempts at making iSi meringue last summer, and using just eggs, sugar, and (the second time) lemon juice, it didn't stay stable long enough to cook. I was going to try adding cornstarch, but didn't get round to it. Jul 10, 2013 at 9:27
There's a recipe for meringue on the iSi website. The process:
Pass the egg white through a fine mesh sieve and stir in sugar in a casserole dish. heat to 50 °C (122 °F). Ensure that the sugar fully dissolves. Beat briefly with an egg whisk, remove from the heat, and cool the dish by placing on ice water. Pass the mixture through the iSi funnel & sieve directly into the 0.5 L (~17 fl. oz.) iSi Whipper. Screw on 1 iSi cream charger and shake vigorously. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Shake vigorously before serving.
Good luck!
Just beat the egg whites and sugar. Otherwise it might be hard to clean the canister once you succeed. You'd definitely have to spoon it out. Someone has told you incorrectly that restaurants use CO2.
