i have always made smbc with real eggs whites heated to 160 for safety.
i am going to try and use a brand of powdered egg whites a gracious cc'er recommended to me this week. since they are already pastuerized (sp?), do i still need to heat it when i mix it with the sugar? does the heating of the egg/sugar mixture have any other purpose?

thanks!
diane

I would think you would have to, otherwise the sugar would not dissolve and you would end up with a very grainy buttercream

thanks PJ, that makes sense. i was kind hoping i could get out of this step, lol.

did you ever try this? Did you need to heat the egg whites. I found some blog posts saying that they didnt heat since it was pasteurized and I know I have seen duff make meringue buttercream with raw egg whites and not heating sugar. Just having the same question so I was hoping you tested it out

i am actually going to be testing it out today or tomorrow. it's experiment day, lol. new cake recipe, new filling, and going to try my favorite smbc with the dried eggs whites.

it would be so much nicer if i didn't HAVE to heat it (not only because i am lazy) but then i would have stiffer smbc to work with (i think).

will report back

diane

p.s. if real raw egg whites aren't heated to 160 then there is the potential for problems, although it's a small chance, i never take the risk because i bake for a lot of kids.

I ALWAYS heat to 165 when using real egg whites. That is the way my recipe is approved by the dept of agriculture. Would never dream of not heating.

I was just asking because I had read online that you can use the pwdrd without heating and the texture was good. If you think about it when you make meringue for pies and such it isnt grainy. I guess the act of whipping to stiff peaks does something to the sugar.

Anxious to see what your results are. I am going to try it today as well

yeah, me too, i hate the idea of anyone getting sick on my food no matter how small the chance.

i'd love to know how your's works out too!

diane

momma28,
my health dept would not allow me to use real egg whites no matter what i heated them to...they took the hard line it was "hazardous" period (which is why i am now experimenting with the powdered). did your ag department give you a hard time for using real egg whites as a home baker (or perhaps you have a storefront)? very frustrating experience for me.
diane

No they didnt give me a hard time. I submitted my recipe and was approved in literally ten minutes. They called me back promptly because I said I had a customer that requested it and needed to know if it was usable by that afternoon. They didnt even bat an eye. It is for me that I am looking into the powdered egg whites. I am tired of separating the eggs and am hoping against hope I wouldnt have to heat it (or maybe just heat slightly, instead of sitting there with a thermometer until 165). Just bought the powdered at the store this morning. We shall see