Bertie Doe wrote:

> Thanks all
>
> The whisk I used was a Braun 300watt handblender. Their cheapest model,
> single speed, but pretty quick. It comes supplied with a tall, narrow
> blending pot. Plastic yes, but it had been thru the dishwasher last week and
> hot rinsed again today.
> I used an egg separator and no sign of yolk.
> The recipe book does agree with the above posters and states 'whisk to soft
> peaks.' It also warns against over-whisking as this may lead to hard or
> brittle meringue.
> So, I may have underwhisked, as I don't recall the soft peaks, prior to
> adding the sugar.

That's my bet. It had nothing to do with fat or grease
in the whites.

You didn't beat the eggs long enough before adding the sugar. That
will pretty much ensure the eggs will never lift. You'll end up
with the "pourable" result that you describe.

Next time, don't be so afraid of overbeating. Remember you
can always chuck it and start over.

--
Reg