Why do egg whites get frothy

First, beat the egg whites to the soft peak stage, then begin adding the sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time.

Beat until the whites are stiff and glossy. Use these methods next time you bake for recipe perfection! Watch a quick video for step-by-step instructions. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano. More From Cooking Tips.

As you've probably discovered, finding the right consistency can be a challenge! This frothy look develops as air is incorporated, and as you continue to whisk, the egg white increases in volume. The air incorporated into the white is what helps certain dishes rise, giving them a light and airy texture.

You can whisk eggs by hand, but it can be quite an arm workout and takes a relatively long time. Alternatively, you can use an electric whisk. As you start whisking you will see the egg whites beginning to froth, with little bubbles appearing throughout.

You will also see that they change slightly in color. If the recipe calls for it, this is the point when you can add in your sugar. Whisking further will bring you to the 'soft peak' stage in which the egg whites begin to thicken and have a creamy appearance. To test this stage, lift your whisk - do peaks form and slump back down? If so, you are at the soft peak stage! Rather, other ingredients should be gently folded into the egg whites. Fold as few times as possible to combine the ingredients and maintain as much volume as possible.

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Is there any advantage to using a whisk? It may be because the whisk incorporates more air into the foam than a beater does.

Why not add sugar at the beginning? Adding sugar at the beginning can double the time you have to whip the egg whites to get a foam. With sugar molecules in the way, it takes longer for the proteins to find each other and form bonds. When meringue is cooking, sugar helps keep it stable by bonding with water molecules and preventing them from escaping as water vapor. Delaying the evaporation of water from the foam helps keep the foam stable until it stiffens.

Why add vinegar? These undesirable consequences result from too many bonds forming between the egg proteins. When you add an acid to a mixture, you are essentially adding some positively charged particles. The hydrogen ions hop onto charged portions of the proteins and leave them uncharged. Proteins that are electrically neutral are less likely to react with other proteins.