Beating egg whites

[buzzbee]

Hi All
I am relatively new to TM and am loving it!
I have had some difficulty beating egg whites though and am hoping some of you experts will be able to offer advice.
I followed the instructions on the forum about how to beat the egg whites, but the instructions I found were 1 and a half minutes for 2 egg whites. I needed to beat 6 egg whites and wasn't sure what to do with the time - I knew it would need to be increased, but I didn't know by how much.
The first time I tried it produced some wonderful fluffy beaten whites, with great-looking peaks, but a substantial proportion of the mixture was liquid at the bottom of the bowl - I then tried to beat them some more, but this didn't work. I used what I had, but the chocolate mousse wasn't too successful (more of a pudding than a mousse!).
When I tried again, the egg whites took on a glossy texture (like meringue), which wasn't too much of a problem, but they didn't fluff up like the first lot. I was a bit nervous to beat them some more, in case they became liquid like the first lot.
And I tried again, also without any success - the whites looked glossy and heavier than they should, and the volume of egg whites wasn't correct.
I was then left with many egg yolks and was feeling a bit helpless, so I turned to my hand-held beater instead!
I look forward to some guidance. 
Thank you!

[Amanda]

I've never been happy with beating egg whites in the TM either, buzzbee.  I can't seem to get the volume and also end up with the liquid in the bottom.  I know other have beaten them successfully, but with a lot of fiddling about which seems to defeat the purpose of the TM somewhat.
I just use the KitchenAid. 

[fundj&e]

this is how  i add my egg whites
i make pav roll with it and haven’t hade any problems with it

[johnro]

Same issue here Amanda with same result so follow the same procedure as you - KA to the rescue!!!! Fundj you are a champ!!!!   

[judydawn]

This recipe uses 6 egg whites buzzbee and is on CP's favourite recipe list so must be good.

[Bedlam]

I had success when I heated the bowl, like the recipe JD posted. I think that is the secret for egg whites.

[faffa_70]

...and wash out your bowl, butterfly, lid and seal with hot water and white vinegar first!! We forget that we use oil etc to cook in our bowls and it is the biggest killer for egg whites 

[buzzbee]

Thanks for all the tips everyone.
Fundj, your egg whites look awesome - what do you do??

[fundj&e]

in that photo i did whip for 10mins i think. now its down to 5 min,i dont use any heat. i wash my bowl, then i dry it with the hair dryer. the dryer  heats up the bowl i guess

[leesmac78]

I am lazy, I have Kenwood right next door to Thermie (I wonder if they fight when I am at work) and I always beat egg whites in Kenwood.  I had one Thermie disaster with egg whites so I just use Kenwood to save my nerves.  Of course at demonstrations, I would never say that!!!

xxx

 

[asha_76]

Hi all,

I was just coming on here to post about egg whites and found this thread.

I decided to make a pavlova yesterday and after having limited success with egg whites previously, I followed the instructions here - http://www.thermomix-recipes.com/2010/10/whipped-egg-whites-thermomix-how-to.html

I had four egg whites which looked ok after 3 minutes of beating.  Then I added the caster sugar and put them on for another minute.  When I took off the lid this time, they had gone all watery and foamy and didn't resemble beaten egg whites at all.  I wasn't sure if they could be saved but poured them into my Kenwood, added the cornflour and vinegar and in a few minutes had egg whites with stiff peaks (although I still wasn't happy with the volume).

My question is - is there any way I could have saved them using the TM?  From searching around on the internet it seems that egg whites is one of the main things people have problems with.  It doesn't seem right that a machine with the power of the TM doesn't do them as well as a mixer.

Are there any other tricks or is it just a given that it's better to do them in your mixer rather than the TM?

[judydawn]

I have had that happen to me too asha and most people do them in their mixers but I have successfully beaten egg whites with the butterfly/37^oC/speed 3 or 4 and the MC off. It can be done but is a bit hit and miss I think.
Tenina told us at her cooking class recently how to do it but I won't quote her here as I am not completely sure of all the facts.  Someone who attended her class may remember (or written down) exactly what she said.  I know it was a minute per egg white and that she used icing sugar, not castor sugar, speed 3 but I'm not sure what temperature was settled on as there was a bit of discussion on that. 

[andiesenji]

I have the same problem and have had the TM31 carefully cleaned and 100% oil free (or yolk free).

I've tried numerous times with different volumes of egg whites and even with the meringue powder, which is usually foolproof, and the results have just not been up to my standards.  Maybe I am too picky.  There is always liquid left in the bottom of the bowl and if sugar is added to the beaten egg whites in the    it becomes a gummy mess in the bottom which requires taking the blades out and scrubbing to get it clean again.

I have other stand mixers but I also get a better result using a hand-held mixer - for small amounts of egg white.

I do love the TM31 but for this task I sincerely believe it is not the best solution.

[knittercook]

I do love the TM31 but for this task I sincerely believe it is not the best solution.

Totally agree, I find the hand held mixer is quick and easy for egg whites and they turn out perfect every time.

[CreamPuff63]

I'm giving up trying in the TM as the whites just do not get a good result. I have made the Pavlova, but my hand mixer will do a much better job at beating the whites. I made the Raspberry and Almond Meringue cake from Teninas book yesterday, and she says Butterfly / 6 min / 60^o / Speed 3. The sugar was milled for 30 secs / Speed 10. Although it was just OK and passable, the meringue was very soft and "sloppy" and next time I will beat egg whites using my mixer.