Italian Bc..egg White Question
Decorating By mami2sweeties Updated 7 Feb 2006 , 7:33pm by SquirrellyCakes
Does anyone know if beating egg whites in plastic bowl will hinder them from whipping up right? I have a Bosch mixer but it came with a hard type plastic bowl instead of a metal one. I wanted to know if even a small trace of shortening would keep the egg whites from whipping up right. I know that with royal, any amount of grease will break it down. It is a a very powerful mixer. It has 700w of power. I use it for my buttercream and I wash it very well but since it is plastic I know maybe some trace shortening may be left.
I bought this mixer initially to mix bread dough and it sure does the trick too!
I should invest in the metal bowl. This mixer can also be a meat grinder. The plastic bowl to me was the only down side of this mixer but since I bought it to make dough I was not worried about it.
I just did not want to waist all those ingredients trying out the Italian BC if it was going to flop since egg whites are best whipped in a glass or metal bowl.
I would try mixing up a few plain egg whites and see what happens.
Even if this did work, won't the plastic melt when you pour the hot sugar in it?
on this topic, i want to follow the martha italian mer. buttercream recipie but don't have a candy thermometer. Should I even attempt? Any advice?
It would have to be some pretty flimsy plastic for the egg whites to melt it.
It might melt, it might not. It might not melt to pieces, but considering the bowl gets so hot it might warp. Plus it doesn't seem very food safe. A little plastic in your buttercream anyone?
In addition there has been all this talk on the news about the safety of food when heating plastic. You might not even be able to get away with it in a commercial kitchen.
Yes, even a small amount of grease will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly.
Sugar syrup won't destroy a plastic bowl.
Yes, you need a candy thermometer.
I doubt the hot syrup would hurt this bowl. It is very sturdy. However, my biggest concern was the trace amounts of grease.
Thanks bubblezmom. I had a feeling the trace amounts would be a problem.
i want to follow the martha italian mer. buttercream recipie but don't have a candy thermometer. Should I even attempt? Any advice?
No, you shouldn't attempt. Unless you're very comfortable with judging candy/cooked sugar by how it behaves (soft crack, hard crack, etc, if you have to ask there's your answer) you really do need a thermometer.
I actually attempted without a thermometer, I used the cold water test, and the icing was delicious. Now I just need to learn how to get is smooth. I guess practice.
I would try mixing up a few plain egg whites and see what happens.
Even if this did work, won't the plastic melt when you pour the hot sugar in it?
Just a For Your Info,
this material is virtually unbreakable and can withstand heat up to 239F.
Hugs Squirrelly
I did a little search and the bowl is made of makrilon. The user manual for my Bosch says I can whip 20 egg whites so I am going to try it. I am not exactly sure what makrilon is but from all I can find it says it is heavy duty kitchen stuff.
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but you boil sugar for IMBC in some recipes higher than 239 degrees. Some I've seen up to 250! From what is posted online about Makrolon®, in can withstand temperatures up to 298 degrees, which in my opinion, is taking a risk. Thermometers alone can be off by more than 10 degrees.
Additionally it may also hold heat more than a metal KA, and that may cause the recipe to fail.
I would at least contact the manufacturer to make sure this is food safe. Even if it does not melt, it still might not be legal to do.
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but you boil sugar for IMBC in some recipes higher than 239 degrees. Some I've seen up to 250! From what is posted online about Makrolon®, in can withstand temperatures up to 298 degrees, which in my opinion, is taking a risk. Thermometers alone can be off by more than 10 degrees.
Additionally it may also hold heat more than a metal KA, and that may cause the recipe to fail.
I would at least contact the manufacturer to make sure this is food safe. Even if it does not melt, it still might not be legal to do.
Actually, my apologies, the temperature maximum was when it was used as a thin coating on another material that would come into high heat contact. The product stablility at high heats is actually that heat does not affect it is actually 302F.
Even though you do heat the sugar syrup to between usually 240 and 250F the heat dissipates as you remove the syrup from the heat source and pour into your bowl over the egg whites. The egg whites in effect bring down the temperature and regardless from all tests conducted with egg whites and sugar syrup, the egg whites because of heat dissipation in the bowl are actually at a temperature of less than 140F, not high enough to kill salmonella. While it is true that metals such as stainless hold the heat better than plastics, in this case that is not a factor in making the one material superior for use over the other. My only concern would be the grease traces not allowing the eggwhites to beat to their full volume.
The plastic does not soften until it reaches 150 °C (converts to 302F) and burns only when heated to over 500 °C. It is non-toxic, can be pigmented in any color and is odorless. It acts as an insulator for electricity and heat and is also recyclable!
http://www.baykomm.bayer.com/en/exhibition_rooms/information_technology/frameset.html?page=c_sps_makrolon
I also wanted to add this, the mixer in question, the Bosch, is a commercial mixer. If there were any food safety concerns this mixer would have been pulled off the market a long time ago, this mixer is designed for use in the commmercial baking industry.
Hugs Squirrelly
It says roughly 140°C (284°F). Once you consider that we don't know if her thermometer is accurate and she doesn't know what she is doing so, she could very well could get it up to the hard crack stages or upper 290 degree marks. That is a lot of risk.
Combine that will the millions of insane food safety laws in commercial kitchens and this does not seem like it would pass an inspection.
There is also all the controversy regarding heating plastics and cancer causing dioxins in the media these days, which adds to my concern for overall health.
I also wanted to add this, the mixer in question, the Bosch, is a commercial mixer. If there were any food safety concerns this mixer would have been pulled off the market a long time ago, this mixer is designed for use in the commmercial baking industry.
Hugs Squirrelly
It's designed for kneading dough, not candy making, which is essentially what you're doing with an IMBC...sugar syrups at a very high heat.
It says roughly 140°C (284°F). Once you consider that we don't know if her thermometer is accurate and she doesn't know what she is doing so, she could very well could get it up to the hard crack stages or upper 290 degree marks. That is a lot of risk.
Combine that will the millions of insane food safety laws in commercial kitchens and this does not seem like it would pass an inspection.
There is also all the controversy regarding heating plastics and cancer causing dioxins in the media these days, which adds to my concern for overall health.
It says roughly 140C when referring to the dimensional stability of a structure, not to melting of this product.
Accuracy of a thermometer should be calibrated to the temperature of boiling water and then taking into account what your thermometer shows as the temperature of boiling water, you add or subtract degrees to use this as a means of determining the accuracty of your thermometer.
As far as risks associated with an inexperienced baker not knowing the correct temperature of sugar syrup for this purpose or any other food safety risks, that is really an issue over which we have no control, it is up to the individual to educate themselves and reduce the risks.
I think the key factor is the temperature at which this product melts before there are any concerns about food safety. I don't believe there is any risk at all.
Yes there is a lot of media hype about any forms of plastics including plastic wraps etc. Considering the use of these products in virtually any form of packaging that is used and the fact that the pans we are baking in are aluminum and there is a relationship betweeh high aluminum concentrates in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. The fact that many utensils and pans we use are Teflon coated and there are recent studies regarding the carcniogen risk factors associated with those. The fact that white sugar is not know to be healthy and the risks associated with the fats we use, the obesity factors from eating these products. Then there is the fact that the food colours we use to produce coloured icing are not exactly healthy. Then the preservatives used in cake mixes is another factor. The pesticides used in growing the wheats and other items we use. The risk of exposure to chemical fertilizers also used.
I see your point but I do believe that the manufacturer of the Bosch commercial mixer and the bowl would have warnings in the instruction manual if using the bowl posed a risk or they could be in for a large number of lawsuits. The government would not allow this product to be sold for this use without such a warning.
Hugs Squirrelly
I actually attempted without a thermometer, I used the cold water test, and the icing was delicious. Now I just need to learn how to get is smooth. I guess practice.
Back to the thermometer issue...You REALLY need to get the sugar syrup to the right temp. this helps kill any salmonella that may be in the eggs. Just because it tastes good, doesn't mean it will be safe to serve to large crowds.
I'm getting this funny feeling of deja vu.
I'm getting this funny feeling of I don't care anymore!
I actually attempted without a thermometer, I used the cold water test, and the icing was delicious. Now I just need to learn how to get is smooth. I guess practice.
Back to the thermometer issue...You REALLY need to get the sugar syrup to the right temp. this helps kill any salmonella that may be in the eggs. Just because it tastes good, doesn't mean it will be safe to serve to large crowds.
From the most recent information on this subject, you also need to use the thermometer to check the temperature of the egg whites after you pour the sugar syrup on them. Apparently the egg whites are not reaching 160F, more likely 130-140F because much of the heat does dissipate in the bowl. See www.baking911.com go to recipes, under Italian Meringue Buttercream
This really is a minor risk in that less than 1% of eggs have salmonella, but it is still a risk.
The stuff we have to worry about eh?
Hugs Squirrelly
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%