Whipping Up Egg Whites: Chef Mark Seaman

#FUNDAMENTALFRIDAY
WHIPPING UP EGG WHITES

CHEF MARK SEAMAN
WWW.CHOCOLATEACADEMY.ONLINE
FUNDAMENTAL FRIDAY - WHIPPING UP EGG WHITES- CHEF MARK SEAMAN
egg whites in a bakery kitchen
The video which accompanies this text can be found on

Chocolate Academy Online Instagram TV.
@chocolateacademyonline

As many of you know, I specialize in cakes and cake design/decorating. As
such, cake is the first thing I think of anytime I think about ingredients. So
for the purposes of this discussion, it will primarily relate directly to
whipping egg whites for use in cakes, meringues, and icings. I won’t talk
much about products where the white isn’t the star of the show in this
edition of #FundamentalFriday.
There are a lot of common uses in the kitchen for whipped egg whites. We
all make souflees, and icings, cakes, custards, buttercream, etc.
It is the air that is beaten into properly-whipped whites that gives the end
product its lightness and aids in leavening. Let's look more deeply at how
this happens.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2020 BARRY CALLEBAUT
FUNDAMENTAL FRIDAY - WHIPPING UP EGG WHITES - CHEF MARK SEAMAN
composition of an egg
White (aka Albumen): the white exists to protect the yolk

Water: About 90% water; no fat; no cholesterol
Protein: 3.5-4g of protein (which is about 10% of the white and
over half of the total protein in an egg)
Chalaza: At the two curved ends of the egg, notice what look like
two scribbles. This is part of the usable white. The chalaza is a
twisted membrane that anchors the yolk in place so it remains in
the center of the egg.
Yolk:
mostly fat with 75% of the total calories of the egg
Contains lecithin which emulsifies applications such as French
meringue buttercream.
Air cell: an oxygen pocket that is developed when the egg is laid.
Located on the wider curved end of the egg below the chalaza.
It serves as an exchange where carbon dioxide is released from
and oxygen enters the egg.
This process relieves moisture from the egg slowly over time as
the air sac increases in size with more stored oxygen.
Thousands of tiny pores in the shell allow this exchange to
occur.
Shell: Protective & porous, it is covered with a bloom and cuticle
which are natural layers created by the hen during the laying process
to protect the egg from dirt and bacteria from entering the egg.
Bloom & Cuticle

Bloom & Cuticle Layers
2 separate layers on the outside of the shell
Naturally-produced by the hen
If you get fresh eggs, make sure to wash them completely
to remove any dirt or bacteria from the outside of the
shell. If not, when cracking the egg for use, bacteria from
the outside of the shell can get into your food.
Don't buy cartons of eggs containing cracked eggs.
Bacteria spreads rapidly from broken eggs to others.
Commercial Eggs
Replace these natural coatings with a synthetic version of the
same thing to prevent bacterial growth.
Egg Yolk Color

Impacted by feed that the hens are eating
Orange or yellow colors are common.
Yellow yolks come from less carotene and lots of corn.
Yolks from barley feed are very pale by comparison.
Whites become more translucent and they become thinner as

they age and the carbon dioxide is released.
Chalaza & 2 Parts of White
On the right side of the image above, on the ends of the yolk,
the chalaza is well-connected on both ends of the egg, which is
how it should be in a fresh egg. They haven't started to float
around or thin out. The white that is directly adjacent to the
yolk is more gelatinous and thicker, with a more opaque look
than the outer white. These are all signs of fresher eggs.
In two eggs on the left dated April 25 and May 31, there is a
difference between the way that the whites look as far as
thickness is concerned. The one on the left looks thinner and the
one on the right looks thicker. This tells us that the left-most
egg is slightly older than the one on the right and both are
slightly older than the right-most egg.
Any difference in the color of the yolks, has nothing to do with

the quality of the egg; just what that hen happened to eat.
Fresh Whites
vs.
Aged Egg Whites
FRESH: FRESH:
Thicker; so they take Thinner; so they whip up
longer to whip more quickly
Less final volume Greater volume because
More stability the proteins have relaxed
Loses less volume when and are able to retain more
added to other air
ingredients; like folding Less stable so will lose
into a cake batter more volume when folded
,
N.B. I prefer fresher whites for into other ingredients r eggs
u o s
buttercream because the butter e of y ld egg l
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deflates some of the meringue (despite f the ater. t air c s.
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Fo p the surfa rge oa
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Choosing between fresh and aged:
...depends on what you're doing with them and who you ask.
...it comes down to weighing the pros & cons of stability and volume.
Anecdote to consider: I’m looking for maximum volume, so I’ll go
for the aged whites. Well, be careful, because that nice fluffy foam
is going to lose more volume than the stable foam from the fresh
whites. So if you’re not careful when you’re folding those whipped
whites into a cake batter, you’ll end up with a dense cake.
When it comes to FLAVOR, fresh eggs taste better than old ones, so I
prefer them in applications like mousses where they are not cooked
Egg white products

vs. This
Fresh Shell Eggs

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EGG WHITE PRODUCTS: CONSIDERATIONS:

Liquid egg whites (typically Pasteurized: good-bye
sold frozen; may contain salmonella!
sugar or salt to extend They can be used in an
shelf life) application that is not
Dried egg whites (mix well going to be baked
with other dry ingredients) Longer shelf life than shell
Meringue powder (great for eggs
making royal icing for Dried egg whites have most
cookies; tastes fine; of the moisture removed so
fast/easy to make; but they have an even longer
weak) shelf life than liquids
Dry storage (for some)
Egg white products are functional, easy- Dried whites may contain
to-use, economic, time-saving, space-
saving convenience products.
additional ingredients to
aid in whipping (e.g.
There is always a price to pay for sodium lauryl sulfate) and
convenience! Beware of any trade-
offs you may make. referred to as "high whip"
powder
Always test an egg-white product in your
formula to identify any (positive or
Depending on whether
negative) changes that may occur as a dried whites are produced
result of this formula change. by spraying or pan drying,
Not all egg white products are the moisture content, lipid
manufactured the same from levels, and pH will be
manufacturer to manufacturer, so
evaluate the same product from multiple
different
suppliers to make a decision.
Best practices
for whipping Whites
1. Warm the eggs first: cold eggs have tighter protein bonds...but are easier to
separate. *I do this by submerging whole eggs in warm water for a minute;
don't leave too long or the moisture content of the egg will change.
2. Do not allow any fat to come in contact with the bowl or tools being used to
do the whipping. Lipids inhibit the ability of the proteins in the white to
expand.
3. Do not over whip: this makes for a dry/spongy texture and looks curdled.
4. Do not under whip: your foam/meringue will deflate because web of protein
is underdeveloped.
5. Use the whipped whites right away, otherwise they will begin to deflate &
separate...separated whipped whites cannot be re-whipped. Kind of like sugar-
bloomed chocolate can't be re-melted and tempered.
6. Copper! Egg white foam is more stable when beaten in contact with copper.
This can be from using a copper bowl or copper powder.
Copper ions+conalbumin=conalbumin=strong foam
7. Never use cracked or broken eggs to avoid bacteria.
8. Use fresh shell eggs when possible: eggs become more alkaline as they age;
the acid in a fresh white will help stabilize the proteins in the whipped whites.
9. Don't reduce the speed of your mixer to check the consistency every 2
seconds. Stopping the whipping process will automatically reduce volume as
the web of proteins hasn't formed to support the air yet. This is similar to
opening the oven door 5 minutes into baking a cake.
Proteins unfold: theory

KNITTING ANALOGY:
Think of a ball of knotted up yarn. You start with a ball, you unravel it by
ALCOHOL
applying force, you put it back together by applying more force (via the
knitting needles) to create a new pattern: in the shape of a scarf...or
gloves...etc.
The original network of yarn that we have on the left is the same yarn
"particles", [the same amino acids] in the products on the right. It's just that
the particles have changed and have formed a different structure--winter
apparel in this case. When the pieces of yarn form a different structure they
can be used to do different things.
This is what it would look like with denaturation of a protein, where you are
changing the original state of something into something different.
Denaturation of protein
ALCOHOL
Proteins are created by connecting amino acids end to end like the
links in a chain. Chemical bonds within that chain cause proteins to
fold into knot-like formations--like the ball of yarn on the previous
page. These formations or structures, determine the function of the
protein in a recipe. This is what I was referring to earlier about
proteins kind of being tight or being relaxed: if they're young, if they're
old...all of these folds start to open up or unfold when they warm up.
So when you apply heat (say putting something over a bain marie, for
example), that changes the structure of the protein. And that means
it's going to perform differently than as in its original state.
The process of breaking down and changing the structure of a protein
is known as denaturation.
Methods of denaturing proteins

ALCOHOL
in egg whites
Any one or combination of two or more manual methods of
denaturing proteins may be used when working with whites.
Heat: (cooking whites with sugar over a bain-marie)

Heating increases kinetic energy so the protein chains
vibrate. More heat. More motion. Eventually, if enough heat is
applied, it will cause the bonds that hold the proteins folded to
break. The knots unfurl and the proteins denature.
Acid:
Adding acid changes the pH & promotes coagulation which
denatures the protein. This would most likely be cream of tartar,
lemon juice or vinegar. These acids also help reduce the chances of
overbeating the whites. Just don’t overdo it on the acid...it will taste
the flavor and ultimately the consistency of your product.
Force: (whipping egg whites against the side of a bowl with a whisk).
Force is combined with heat in the case of warming a meringue over a
bain-marie.
Globular structure of
egg white protein
There are two different kinds of globular molecules to know about that
are inside the white.
hydrophobic: "afraid" of water & hidden on the inside of the strand
hydrophilic: love water. [My dog on the right loves water.]
What happens with the process of denaturing is when things start to
get heated up, things start to get agitated. They start to open up, and
then all of those molecules that were hidden away inside, hiding from
the water, become visible on the surface. And that's how we start to
get a different type of protein that performs differently in the recipe.
Whipped proteins in Recipes

Swiss Meringue
ALCOHOL
Buttercream
Ingredients:
470g Egg whites

680g Sugar
1,190g Butter
5g Vanilla Bean Paste
MOP:
1. Cream the butter until smooth
2. Combine the egg whites and sugar over a bain-marie and whisk gently until the
ALCOHOL
sugar is completely dissolved and the temperature reaches 60C.

3. Transfer the egg white mixture to a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment.
Whip to medium-firm peaks and add the vanilla.
4. Switch to a paddle and incorporate the butter in increments until homogenized.
Remember that when you whip egg whites, you're forcing air into the whites,
causing the protein chains to stretch and create thousands of tiny bubbles. As you
whip them they reach different stages: soft, medium and stiff peak.
If you over-beat the egg whites the stretched protein will eventually break allowing
the water and the proteins to separate, creating a useless mix of eggy water and
foam.
When you are stirring the sugar into the whites, the whisk is moving through the egg
white mixture, generating force, which is already starting the denaturing process.
This process continues with the addition of the heat and further whipping later.
From Foam to Stiff Peaks

The stages of meringue
This has been whipping Shiny and fluffy; close to Whipped too long.
for about a minute; still a finished meringue. The protein bonds are
very liquidy. breaking.
The meringue is
deflated.
When combining the sugar and egg whites over a bain-marie, pay attention to the
temperature of the water. It should not be a rolling boil. If the water is too hot, it
will cook the meringue to the right temperature before all of the sugar is dissolved.
Soft Peak: the meringue doesn't hold its own weight when lifted with the whip
Medium Peak: the meringue
Firm Peak: the meringue forms a "bird's beak" when lifted with the whip
My target peak for buttercream: I call it the "Dairy Queen tip". Looks like the end of
a soft serve cone that has a little loop on the peak. (see image on previous page)
Royal Icing
Royal Icing Recipes

are not
Interchangeable
Royal icing made with fresh egg whites, meringue powder,
dried egg whites are all used for different purposes based
on the color and strength of icing required.
Royal Icing
Royal Icing with Royal Icing with
Dried Egg Whites Fresh Whites
Take th
e longe
hydrate st to
/smells
Ideal for: terrible
!
Simple Piped Borders on Cakes
Overpiping & Lambeth Piping
Any royal icing decorations used on
cake dummies
This is the strongest recipe

and is ideal for extension
work, Nirvana collars, etc.
Royal Icing with Meringue Powder
Ideal for:
1. Flooding for cookies
2. Piped borders and other
embellishments on fondant
cakes
3. Stenciling
Royal Icing to Gum Paste
Gum paste is essentially royal icing with solid vegetable fat and gum added to
it. So the same rules apply to making the gum paste base as royal icing. That
is to avoid combining the egg whites and sugar at too high a speed so you
don’t get too much air too fast into the base and that the sugar completely
dissolves before you get to the consistency you want.
In the case of gum paste that consistency will vary from decorator to
decorator. I happen to like my gum paste on the firmer side so I take my royal
base just a little further than most. This is so I can have more control over the
position of the individual flower petals during processing. Unlike royal icing
that I’d use for say piping a shell border on a fondant cake that I’d make with
meringue powder, I would only use shelled whites for gum paste to ensure a
better structure.
Wrap the paste in several layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight in a
Ziploc bag before using. The paste can also be frozen indefinitely as long as it
is wrapped very well.
Goldilocks leavens a cake

Just enough air
Don't dry out or deflate your meringue:

Overzealous mixing
Folding is not the same as mixing
Overwhipping
Stiff peaks are too rigid for a cake
Sugar
Fine and slow!

Superfine
Gradual after foam develops
Cream of Tartar (4-5g per 250g of whites--ish)

Cream of tartar is a byproduct of making wine that stabilizes egg white foam.
The acid denatures the protein in the egg just enough to produce a moist and stable
foam.
Don't use too much or the flavor may be altered.

Use enough to take advantage of the stabilizing component of the acid.
Best Practices
for whipping whites
1. Use room temp whites
2. NO FAT
3. Play Goldilocks to avoid deflating your foam
a. Do not over whip
b. Do not under whip
4. Avoid separation anxiety: use the whipped whites right away
5. Find a penny & you'll have good luck: take advantage of copper
6. No salmonella! Never use cracked or broken eggs
7. Use fresh shell eggs when possible
8. Consider adding an acid
9. Use superfine sugar
10. Don't be afraid...they'll know it...no wishy-washy whipping
in conclusion
And there you have it. More than you ever thought you'd want or
need to know about egg whites! I hope that this document along with
the accompanying video on IGTV will help you to recognize and
understand some of the science behind your recipes that incorporate
whipped egg whites.
Through my cake-making lens, we've discovered that there are
multiple measures at our disposal in the kitchen to modify the
structure of proteins in egg whites. As you experiment with the
addition of acids, various amounts of force and degrees of heat, the
development of foams and meringues will take on a different
consciousness.
As minor as small changes in the age of whites, the use of various
egg white products, or the temperature of albumen under force may
seem, all of these factors do have a perceivable impact on your end
product. Thirty seconds of (over or under) whipping your whites may
mean the difference between a spectacular and average dessert. In
the bakery segment, recipes that don't yield the desired result and
call for whipped whites as a main component, may be improved by
shifting the way in which or the degree to which you choose to whip
the whites.
Landing on the "Goldilocks" of egg-white structure is just as
important as balancing a ganache or using the correct flour type in a
cake to create the unforgettable dessert you imagined. So try
stronger/weaker, more/less voluminous foams and meringues and
watch what happens. How do those changes effect your product?
I am always interested in learning about the trials and successes of
other chefs, so please consider sharing your results with me via email
or Direct Message in Instagram.
In the meantime, I leave you with the words of the 80's Devo:
"Whip it Good!"
Mark Seaman, CMSA

Specialty Applications Chef, Chocolate Academy Online

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#FUNDAMENTALFRIDAY

WHIPPING UP EGG WHITES

egg whites in a bakery kitchen

The video which accompanies this text can be found on

White (aka Albumen): the white exists to protect the yolk

Bloom & Cuticle

Egg Yolk Color

Whites become more translucent and they become thinner as

Chalaza & 2 Parts of White

Any difference in the color of the yolks, has nothing to do with

Egg white products

Fresh Shell Eggs

EGG WHITE PRODUCTS: CONSIDERATIONS:

Proteins unfold: theory

Methods of denaturing proteins

Heat: (cooking whites with sugar over a bain-marie)

Whipped proteins in Recipes

470g Egg whites

sugar is completely dissolved and the temperature reaches 60C.

From Foam to Stiff Peaks

Royal Icing Recipes

This is the strongest recipe

Royal Icing with Meringue Powder

Royal Icing to Gum Paste

Goldilocks leavens a cake

Don't dry out or deflate your meringue:

Fine and slow!

Cream of Tartar (4-5g per 250g of whites--ish)

Don't use too much or the flavor may be altered.

3. Play Goldilocks to avoid deflating your foam

a. Do not over whip

b. Do not under whip

4. Avoid separation anxiety: use the whipped whites right away

6. No salmonella! Never use cracked or broken eggs

7. Use fresh shell eggs when possible

8. Consider adding an acid

9. Use superfine sugar

10. Don't be afraid...they'll know it...no wishy-washy whipping

Mark Seaman, CMSA

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