How to Whisk Eggs for Pie Fillings
For those that do not bake often, you may not realize how crucial egg whites are in many baked goods. Egg whites are the clear fluid that surrounds the yolk inside of an egg. For pie fillings, egg whites need to be whipped until they form stiff peaks, creating volume. Egg whites are used in pie fillings for pies such as pecan, and lemon meringue. Egg whites are also the key ingredient in meringues, which usually top the lemon curd filling in lemon meringue pie. With an electric mixer, egg whites are fairly easy to whip. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Crack open cold eggs and separate the egg white from the egg yolk by transferring the yolk back and forth between the two shell halves, while the egg white falls into a glass or metal bowl underneath. Cold egg white separate easier from the egg yolk.
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Let the egg whites sit out to come to room temperature. Room temperature eggs create more volume.
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Beat the eggs on high speed using clean beaters just until stiff, moist peaks begin to form.
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Add sugar and other ingredients for the pie filling according to your recipe into the egg whites. Follow the recipe to finish preparing and baking the pie.
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Tips & Warnings
Adding one or two drops of lemon juice or vinegar to the egg whites during the mixing process will help to stabilize the egg whites and keep them from breaking down.
Avoid getting any fat or oil into the bowl or the egg whites, as even the tiniest amount will cause the egg whites to not properly whip up.
Avoid over-whipping the egg whites or they will break down. If the soft peaks that form begin to look dry, you have over-whipped the eggs and should start over.
References
Resources
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