Hey freke, can we talk folding egg whites?

[Ellen]

I figured you''d know the answer to this, miss baker. I just made a cheesecake, which calls for folding in stiffly beaten egg whites. I know how to fold, but I don''t truly know at what point to stop. Should there be absolutely no visable white left? tiny bits? I fold til I can''t really see anything conclusive and then stop. I''m not sure, but I''m guessing you can fold too much, breaking the white down too much?

Any help much appreciated!

 

[FrekeChild]

Hey Ellen!

Egg whites...Ummm...The whole goal in folding them into whatever it is, would be to incorporate air into the product. So the less you mix it, the better, but it has to be completely mixed in. I usually fold egg whites into stuff like mousses, sponge cake, souffles etc. I have done it all both ways--leaving slight streaks of egg whites or trying to mix it all completely in. Really, I like to get it so that there are a few streaks left, and then only give it a couple more strokes.

I also like to fold with a whisk sometimes, which can help keep the item fluffy. One thing I was always taught is to "sacrifice" a little bit of the egg whites at the very beginning-like a quarter of what it calls for--and to just mix that in thoroughly, without worrying about mixing the air out. It''s supposed to "temper" the egg white and the rest of the ingredients, making the other ingredients more hospitable for the addition of the egg whites. Then you can just fold the rest of egg whites in like normal.

So yes you can over fold, so I would rather under than over, but for some items it''s not as important-like Mousse, but for some they make the dessert what it is--like souffles.

Does that help? Do you have any other questions?

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/17/2008 7:19:58 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Hey Ellen!

Does that help? Do you have any other questions?

It does, thank you! And nope, I think that''s it.

Now I''ll have to experiment, as I make this cheesecake on a semi-regular basis. I''ll try both the tempering method, and the wisk. I''ve never heard of either method, which is kind of surprising considering the amount of cookbooks I''ve read/bought. I''ll be interested to see if it makes a difference.

Thanks again freke!

 

[FrekeChild]

No problemo Ellen!! I do hope that I helped!!! I think that those are kind of trade secrets if you will. Lol. I thought they were pretty interesting though, and they seem to work just fine!!

If you need anything else, feel free to ask!!