Why does my meringue always go wrong??

[Tilly]

I made a lemon meringue pie last year and the egg whites whisked up beautifully and it tasted great (they had that firm well known look)
Since that i've made 2 flop lemon meringues - they still tasted great but the meringue wasn't so peaky and big when it was cooked. I gave up, practiced whisking my egg whites a few times but it still wasn't working!! grrr

Made another pie last week and it went really well, but im sure my meringue still wasn't the same.

My methods was - using electric whisk until firm then slowly adding sugar. It went great this time, so why does it go wrong every other time?! the egg whites seem to never reach the peaking stage. Am I adding the sugar too soon? how long would you beat with an electric whisk?? as I find im whisking past the firm point, then it all flops! Im sure I can't be whisking too much as I only do it for a few minutes.

I can't believe i've written an essay about meringue!

 

[Sweetie]

When I'm making lemon meringue I whip the whites till they have soft peaks and then add the sugar gently by sprinkling it on top and then use an electric beater till they are firm. I found one thing that helps make it look nice on the pie is spreading it on "flat" and then using the back of a fork or spoon to "spike" it up

Hope somethng there helps

 

[Winafred]

What kind of bowl are you using? If it's plastic or aluminium your eggs will flop. Try using a glass bowl and see if that helps.

 

[captain-ally]

you may be over-whisking or the eggs may be a touch on the old side (still edible but not so whippable)

 

[Pink_Witch]

also make sure your bowl is totally grease free......if there is any minute trace of grease you can stand there all year and it will never whip right!!

 

[Purpular]

I always add a tsp of cornflour to my meringue. In fact, I tried at least 8 different recipes in one weekend because I could do it but Im alright now!

 

[Mamafy]

try hand whisking, I hand whisk mine all the time; it gets the right amount of air in plus you know when to stop plus you have to fold in the sugar really slowly

 

[milkmachine]

bake it on a low heat for a long time too..... your just drying the egg out xx