The Only Ingredient You Need To Stabilize Italian Meringue

Meringues are wonderfully sweet and delicate desserts that require only a few ingredients to make. The core ingredients of a delicious meringue are simple: whipped egg whites and sugar, plus an optional acid. No matter which kind you make, be it Italian, French, or Swiss, your meringue will benefit from the addition of an acidic stabilizing ingredient. Samantha Merritt, creator of Sugar Spun Run, a baking website known for reliable, from-scratch recipes, spoke exclusively with Chowhound to discuss ways to stabilize meringues, especially for bakers new to them.

Italian meringue, compared to French (Merritt's favorite) and Swiss styles, is unique in the world of meringues. It is differentiated by adding sugar syrup heated to 250 degrees Fahrenheit into the egg whites as you whip them, making it the most stable and allowing it to be eaten without additional baking. Essentially, there is one ingredient to consider in your recipe that will provide extra stiffness. "I'll often add a pinch of cream of tartar to stabilize it," Merritt said of meringue.

If you're hoping to achieve the stiff peaks so well enjoyed by people eating a meringue, start by avoiding mistakes most people make when baking meringues. Then, consider adding that cream of tartar, which will help beginners get results. "Cream of tartar helps to strengthen your meringue, making it achieve stronger, stiff peaks that are more likely to hold their shape and not collapse," Merritt said.

Making a meringue depends on whipping egg whites in just the right way to form proteins around the air bubbles. As you whip, the bubbles shrink and the proteins stretch, making the meringue look glossy and firm. That said, sometimes you can use a little help. If you're new to meringues, adding the acidic ingredient to the mixture, most commonly the cream of tartar, will practically guarantee wonderfully stiff peaks. "While not strictly necessary, I consider cream of tartar (or another acid like a small bit of vinegar or lemon juice) to work as the 'training wheels' for meringue, and I always recommend beginners to meringue use it," Samantha Merritt said.

In addition to using a good technique for whipping meringue, the egg whites should be separated from the yolks and be in pristine form. One pro tip for making meringues from Alex Guarnaschelli is to make sure you use a clean bowl and baking utensils. Getting to know the best ways to make meringue is one way to open the doors to creating the numerous delicacies that utilize this sweet treat, including cookies, pies, cakes, baked Alaska, and more. One unique take on meringue is a pavlova, inspired by the ballerina Anna Pavlova, in which the meringue is placed beneath fruit and whipped cream instead of being used as a topping. Once you master the learning curve for making desserts with meringue, your opportunities for culinary exploration will only expand.