On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 211

or under the broiler — atop a pie, for example — the surface gets crisp while the interior remains moist Poached in milk for the dish called Floating Islands, they are firm yet moist throughout Sugar in Meringues The addition of sugar is what makes a fragile egg-white foam into a stable, glossy meringue The more sugar added, the more body the meringue will have, and the crisper it will be when baked The proportion (by either volume or weight) of sugar to egg white ranges from about 1 to 1 to about to 1, the equivalent of a 50% and a 67% sugar solution, respectively The higher is typical of jams and jellies — and also the room-temperature limit of sugar’s solubility in water Ordinary granulated sugar won’t dissolve completely in a “hard” meringue, and will leave a gritty texture and weeping syrup drops Superfine and powdered “confectioner’s” sugar, or a premade syrup, are better choices (Powdered sugar, which weighs half as much as the other sugars cup for cup, contains 10% cornstarch to help prevent caking, which some cooks dislike and others value as moisture-absorbing insurance.) Meringue Types The traditional meringue terminology — French, Italian, Swiss, and so on — is unclear and used inconsistently These foams are best classified according to the method of preparation and resulting texture Meringues can be either uncooked or cooked If the sugar is added after the egg whites have been whipped on their own, the meringue will be relatively light; if the sugar is added early in the whipping, the meringue will be relatively dense Uncooked Meringues Uncooked meringues are the simplest and most common, and provide a broad range of textures, from frothy to creamy to dense and stiff The lightest ... Types The traditional meringue terminology — French, Italian, Swiss, and so on — is unclear and used inconsistently These foams are best classified according to the method of preparation and resulting... be either uncooked or cooked If the sugar is added after the egg whites have been whipped on their own, the meringue will be relatively light; if the sugar is added early in the whipping, the. .. Uncooked Meringues Uncooked meringues are the simplest and most common, and provide a broad range of textures, from frothy to creamy to dense and stiff The lightest