One of the most fragile items in baking is meringue. One has to follow certain guidelines to make sure that the meringue he or she is making becomes a success. Read on to learn a trick or two.

Q: Greetings to both of you. My question is about meringue. Is the meringue used for the Brazo de Mercedes the same meringue used for meringue cookies?  Can I use the recipes interchangeably? If they are different, what makes them different from each other? (Weng Guballa of Taguig)

Adoree: Thanks for your question, Weng. The meringues in Brazo de Mercedes and meringue cookies have different proportions of egg whites and sugar. The latter has relatively more sugar than the first, making it more appropriate to be baked until crisp. 

The oven temperature and baking time of the two are also different. The Brazo de Mercedes is baked with a higher oven temperature, but for a shorter time. It is just enough for it to brown at the top, but without drying out the meringue. On the other hand, meringue cookies are baked at a lower oven temperature for a longer period of time, so they can dry out and become crisp.

Jun Jun: Every baked product, no matter how similar, that has a different name requires a different recipe. Different products, different outcomes, the ingredients might be the same, but the portions are not. Stick to the recipe so you can come up with the correct baked product.  

Q: Why does the Canonigo and Angel Food Cake rise up when baked, while the meringue cookie does not? Can you please give me tips on how I can determine when a meringue will puff and when it will not puff in the oven? (Tiffany Rubia of Quezon City)

Adoree: Meringue cookies are baked at a relatively low oven temperature, 250 F to 275 F. The Canonigo and Angel Food Cake, on the other hand, are baked at a higher oven temperature, around 325 to 350F. This is the reason why these two puff up while inside the oven.

Jun Jun: There are two types of meringue. There’s the soft, where there are more egg whites than sugar, and the hard, which is the exact opposite. Cookies made with meringue are the hard type, while cakes made with meringue are the soft type. The two have different baking, mixing, and whisking methods. 

Q: Hi Jun Jun and Adoree. Thank you for your column. Do meringues really turn moist and wet after some time? Is there a way I can make the meringue more stable? (Delia Tenazas of Makati)

Adoree: Delia, I suppose you are referring to soft meringues. Since hard meringues, such as meringue cookies, are dried out in the oven, they will not become moist and wet, provided they are stored in airtight containers, free from any moisture.

Soft types of meringues, on the other hand, since they have some moisture left in them, will really ‘weep’ or ‘bead’ after some time. To stabilize the meringue, you can cook some cornstarch in water and then add this to the meringue; this will delay, if not, stop, the ‘weeping’ of the meringue.

Jun Jun:  Now, both Adoree and I are on the same line. Meringues which are soft and have less sugar will, in time, ‘bleed’ and ‘sweat’ since moisture in our country is quite high. Keeping the meringue in an airtight container will surely help in keeping its proper texture. 

Q: I know how fragile egg whites are when you’re making meringue. Is there a remedy to egg whites that do not want to whip? Can I add another batch of egg whites just to jumpstart the whipping of the egg whites? Thank you in advance.  (Gina Yu of Quezon City)

Adoree: Hi, Gina. Sad to say, there is no remedy. If your egg whites are tainted with any form of fat, they would definitely not want to whip up.  Adding a new batch will not do the trick either. This is why it is important that you handle eggs with clean hands, a clean bowl, and clean attachments that are free from any fat. If the egg whites are cold, they will also not whip up immediately. It is ideal to use egg whites at room temperature to maximize their whipping capacity.

Jun Jun: That’s right, complete with the proper explanation. If it doesn’t whip after sometime, there must be a mistake in the ingredient used. 

Questions? Email us at mbdining@gmail.com. (Photo by Rudy Liwanag)