Re-living some childhood favs, I made lemon meringue pie. Got the thumbs up
from my wife for the shortcrust case and the filling was ok, but the meringe
was flat.
Used 4 egg whites, whisked with a Braun then added 4 oz of sugar in 2
stages. Too thin to spread onto the filling, had to pour it on. The eggs had
only been out of the fridge for 45 mins, I wonder if this was a factor?

Bertie

Bertie Doe wrote:
>
> Re-living some childhood favs, I made lemon meringue pie. Got the thumbs up
> from my wife for the shortcrust case and the filling was ok, but the meringe
> was flat.
> Used 4 egg whites, whisked with a Braun then added 4 oz of sugar in 2
> stages. Too thin to spread onto the filling, had to pour it on. The eggs had
> only been out of the fridge for 45 mins, I wonder if this was a factor?


Did you get a bit of yolk into the whites, or did you just not beat it long
enough. I have read that they are supposed to be room temperature but I
doubt if mine ever have been. I usually make enough meringue topping for a
9 inch pan with three whites. They have to be beaten until the form stiff
peaks.

BTW.... when putting a meringue topping on a pie, start at the edges and
make sure the meringue touches them pie shell, then work your way in.
Otherwise the topping shrinks away from the pie shell wile cooking.

Bertie Doe wrote:
> Re-living some childhood favs, I made lemon meringue pie. Got the thumbs up
> from my wife for the shortcrust case and the filling was ok, but the meringe
> was flat.
> Used 4 egg whites, whisked with a Braun then added 4 oz of sugar in 2
> stages. Too thin to spread onto the filling, had to pour it on. The eggs had
> only been out of the fridge for 45 mins, I wonder if this was a factor?
>
> Bertie
I'm agreeing with Dave on this

Bertie Doe wrote:
> Re-living some childhood favs, I made lemon meringue pie. Got the thumbs up
> from my wife for the shortcrust case and the filling was ok, but the meringe
> was flat.
> Used 4 egg whites, whisked with a Braun then added 4 oz of sugar in 2
> stages. Too thin to spread onto the filling, had to pour it on. The eggs had
> only been out of the fridge for 45 mins, I wonder if this was a factor?
>
> Bertie
>
>
One thing that comes immediately to mind is this: did you use a plastic
bowl? Plastic can retain greases, and that will kill a meringue. Your
bowl has to be squeaky clean, utterly free of grease, and metal is
better for this purpose.

Were you careful not to get any yolk in the whites?

When you say you "whisked with a Braun", I'm not sure I understand.
Whisking (to me) is a hand operation. I sure couldn't beat egg whites to
stiff peaks by hand. On the other hand, if you were using a Braun mixer,
it should have been on its highest speed.

I don't believe the temp of the eggs would have been a factor.

On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 18:54:05 -0000, "Bertie Doe"
> wrote:

>Re-living some childhood favs, I made lemon meringue pie. Got the thumbs up
>from my wife for the shortcrust case and the filling was ok, but the meringe
>was flat.
>Used 4 egg whites, whisked with a Braun then added 4 oz of sugar in 2
>stages. Too thin to spread onto the filling, had to pour it on. The eggs had
>only been out of the fridge for 45 mins, I wonder if this was a factor?
>
>Bertie
>
Utensils/vessels need to be *scrupulously' clean for meringue. Any
trace of detergent, grease, other fat (egg yolk!!!) and you're
stuffed, it'll go flat. I''m told that wiping every surface that
might touch a meringue with a freshly cut lemon might help, but I
remain unconvinced.

Otherwise try Googling for 'Italian' or 'Cooked' meringue recipes.
Allegedly, they are more forgiving.
Regards
JonH

Hello, !
You wrote on Sun, 28 Jan 2007 19:17:25 GMT:

??>> Re-living some childhood favs, I made lemon meringue pie.
??>> Got the thumbs up from my wife for the shortcrust case and
??>> the filling was ok, but the meringe was flat. Used 4 egg
??>> whites, whisked with a Braun then added 4 oz of sugar in 2
??>> stages. Too thin to spread onto the filling, had to pour
??>> it on. The eggs had only been out of the fridge for 45
??>> mins, I wonder if this was a factor?
??>>
??>> Bertie
??>>
J> Utensils/vessels need to be *scrupulously' clean for
J> meringue. Any trace of detergent, grease, other fat (egg
J> yolk!!!) and you're stuffed, it'll go flat. I''m told that
J> wiping every surface that might touch a meringue with a
J> freshly cut lemon might help, but I remain unconvinced.

I've never come across any real problems with meringue and just
normal care was used in washing the bowl. Beating "until stiff
peaks form" is the way to go and if you can't get stiff peaks,
you won't get meringue. I wonder if using a copper bowl might
help :-) It's been shown to work for omelets and there is even a
scientific explanation!

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

wrote:
>
>
> Utensils/vessels need to be *scrupulously' clean for meringue. Any
> trace of detergent, grease, other fat (egg yolk!!!) and you're
> stuffed, it'll go flat.

You have higher standards of hygiene that I have. I will settle for a clean
bowl and clean beaters, and I am very careful not to get ANY yolk in with
the whites.

Bertie Doe wrote:
> Re-living some childhood favs, I made lemon meringue pie. Got the thumbs up
> from my wife for the shortcrust case and the filling was ok, but the meringe
> was flat.
> Used 4 egg whites, whisked with a Braun then added 4 oz of sugar in 2
> stages. Too thin to spread onto the filling, had to pour it on. The eggs had
> only been out of the fridge for 45 mins, I wonder if this was a factor?
>
> Bertie
>
>


More likely there was a trace of butter or other fat on the beaters or
the bowl. That'll do it every time.

gloria p

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.
I'll try this recipe again in a couple of weeks and try and nail it!! Thanks
again - much appreciated.

Bertie

Bertie Doe wrote:
> Re-living some childhood favs, I made lemon meringue pie. Got the thumbs up
> from my wife for the shortcrust case and the filling was ok, but the meringe
> was flat.
> Used 4 egg whites, whisked with a Braun then added 4 oz of sugar in 2
> stages. Too thin to spread onto the filling, had to pour it on. The eggs had
> only been out of the fridge for 45 mins, I wonder if this was a factor?
>
> Bertie
>
>
Your bowl and beaters should be clean and greaseless, including no
smearing body oils inside the bowl or on beaters. They should be room
temperature for lots of volume.

Did you add some cream of tartar to your whites? That give it a little
lift and makes them stronger.

Add if all else fails try adding some cornstarch/water solution to your
egg whites. You add 1 Tablspoon of cornstarch to 1/3 cup cold water.
Then bring it to a boil, stir and let it get thick. Cool for a few
minutes. Then add it to your meringue, a tablespoon at a time. THis
really keep syour meringue strong and lofty, with no shrinking.

And don't try to make meringue on a humid day...doesn't work very well.

Melondy

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

On Jan 28, 1:07?pm, "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.
> I'll try this recipe again in a couple of weeks and try and nail it!! Thanks
> again - much appreciated.
>
> Bertie

A stick blender does not allow you to get the air into egg whites or
whipping cream, especially using the tall, narrow container that comes
with it. You need a regular mixer, either hand or stand.
Vickie

Thanks Gloria, Melondy and Reg.

I do have an egg whisk attachment on our kenwood, but I assumed the hand
blender would be ok, as it works very well on royal icing. I'll use the
kenwood next time and wait for soft peaks.
Must remember to follow the recipe book more closely. We had a slice cold
this evening with a bit of vanilla icecream - rather scrummy, but needs a
touch more lemon in the filling. The recipe suggests 4 fl oz, but I could
only get about 2oz out of the lemon. Should have topped up with the bottled
stuff, but will get extra lemons next time.
Used cornstarch in the filling but not in the meringue.
Don't know why I haven't tried maringue before. We've bought dozens of LM
pies from the s/mkt freezer section over the years, but they always leave
you with that bloated feeling. Can't beat the real stuff, must try harder
next time. Regards

Bertie

"Vickie in Utah" wrote in message > A stick blender does not allow you to
get the air into >egg whites or
> whipping cream, especially using the tall, narrow container that comes
> with it. You need a regular mixer, either hand or stand.
> Vickie

Yep, I thought about that and tried to lift the rotor out of the liquid,
while it was still running. But I'd already added the sugar and it was too
late to resuscitate the patient.

Bertie

Vickie in Utah wrote:
> A stick blender does not allow you to get the air into egg whites or
> whipping cream, especially using the tall, narrow container that comes
> with it. You need a regular mixer, either hand or stand.
> Vickie

I agree--I think that's the major source of the problem. You might want to
add a pinch of cream of tartar once the whites are foamy--it hleps them stay
up. (The traditional copper bowl does the same thing.) And it really isn't
hard to beat such a small quantity of egg whites with a balloon whisk,
either.

"Bertie Doe" > wrote in message
...
> Re-living some childhood favs, I made lemon meringue pie. Got the thumbs up from my
> wife for the shortcrust case and the filling was ok, but the meringe was flat.
> Used 4 egg whites, whisked with a Braun then added 4 oz of sugar in 2 stages. Too
> thin to spread onto the filling, had to pour it on. The eggs had only been out of
> the fridge for 45 mins, I wonder if this was a factor?
>
> Bertie

No, even cold they should whip up, though not as much. My guess is there was a fat
interaction. It only takes a tiny amount of fat in some form...usually a speck of
yolks missed in the separating, but also butter, oil, whatever. Even from your hands,
the natural oils can inhibit the egg whites. You don't say how long you whipped them
either.

Next time, make sure to wash your hands and utensils and bowl with Dawn (the best)
and rinse then dry thoroughly. When separating the eggs, make sure to do each on
separately, so that if one yolk does break, it won't ruin the other whites. Make sure
NO yolk gets into the whites. None. A tiny bit of cream of tartar can also help here;
it stabilizes the whites. Whip to a soft peak before adding nay of the sugar, then
slowly add it while still whisking/whipping until stiff peaks form.

Hope this helps,
kimberly

Update : Made a lemon meringue again, but this time I used wholewheat/butter
mix for the case. Anyway, thanks to all of you, the meringue was a success.
Still light and fluffy, even after the sugar was folded in. After baking,
the middle of the meringue was at least 2" thick.
I used the proper double eggwhisk attachment on the kenwood, made sure
everything was clean and no egg yolk got into the white. Thanks again

Bertie