Cooking Tuesday IX. Types of Meringue

Hi everyone! Yesterday I wasn't at home and couldn't upload the post. This week I decided to talk to you about the different types of meringue and when to use them.

¿What is meringue?

Meringue is a white and shiny foam made from egg whites and sugar. It is used to make and decorate different desserts. There are three types of meringue: French, Swiss and Italian.

French Meringue

This meringue is the most simple. You just beat the egg whites until they form white foam and continue beating while you add sugar slowly, until peaks form. It's consistency is softer than the other meringues and it must be baked. It is used for "suspiros", pavlovas or decorate pies (as long as you bake it). It must be baked because then you would be eating raw eggs and that's not recommendable. It must be eaten the same day you make it because then a liquid begins to form under it, unless you dry it completely in the oven (like you do with "suspiros").

Swiss Meringue

This is the middle ground based on preparation difficulty. In last week's post I explained how to make it. It works for filling and decoration of any dessert and it keeps it consistency, which is thicker than the French one. It isn't necessary to bake it but you can. This is the meringue I always make, it also works for "suspiros".

Italian Meringue

This is the most difficult meringue to make and that it turns out well. You beat the egg whites while making a sugar syrup. You make it with sugar and water, cooking at medium heat until it reaches 118 - 120°C. The temperature is very important, if it is too cool then the meringue won't form and if it is too high it will turn into caramel. Then add the sugar syrup to the beaten egg whites and continue beating until it forms stiff peaks. This is the firmest meringue and it hardly loses it consistency. You can't bake this meringue but it is used as filling and decoration of many desserts.

Note: for better consistency you add cream of tartar and if you don't have it then you can add lemon juice or white vinegar.

I hope you liked this week's post and that you found the information useful. If you have any question, advice or a recipe you'd like to see next week then leave them in the comments. Until next time! :)

The divider I got it from here.