So, just for clarification purposes, when I see people posting on there that the meringue buttercreams are shelf stable and can be left out for a couple of days, are they all heating their egg whites/sugar to 160? The recipe I like states says to heat it to 110-120.


I have yet to find a reference (a cookbook, say) that states they may be left out.

I can't remember who it was that said it was ok, so I can't quote chapter and verse, but it has been stated.

My IMBC recipe calls for the syrup to be heated to 245 and then poured into the meringue, basically creating a marshmallow. I have no worries.

Hi everyone, not a direct answer to the question, but is a link to related information.

A very specific SMBC recipe was tested by the Food Safety Net Service. The recipe tested was defined by Texas law as a "Non-Potentially Hazardous Food".

http://texascottagefoodlaw.com/Resources/Recipes/SMBC.aspx

aha. Thank you.

If you drop 245 degree syrup on the whites, it is immediately turned into a confection. And it does drop in temp immediately. That is why many of us go to 245 vs 234 to compensate for the immediate drop. The eggs do get to 160, but the main factor here is the chemical change to a confection. SMBC and GBC do not have this safety factor. FBC follows the high heat method of IMBC.

I just made a batch of German buttercream. It is a process like IMBC, SMBC, and FBC, but the base is custard. I was sure to get the custard well over 160 degrees, but that did not make my buttercream shelf stable. The custard still needs to be refrigerated.

To address karateka, you need to look at the ingredients and determine the "weakest link". In IMBC, the eggs are now candy and can be taken out of the unsafe picture. Now we have to look at the butter.

This will be unpopular, but I looked at the Land O Lakes site which referred back to the FDA. Those of us in business should consider taking these same precautions, as we are liable for our actions and for what we say to a customer.

FDA and LOL both state to refrigerate butter when not in use, only short periods on the counter. I practice this in my business, but not personally. I am sure that HD's everywhere will concur.

So given the FDA guidelines, LOL, and our HD's rules, it is up to us individually to make decisions for our own businesse.

http://www.landolakes.com/TestKitchen/TipsAndTechniques/FAQ/Butter.aspx#fe5e33ed-99f7-43b4-9b05-184033bc08c8

After the fairly recent outbreak of egg-borne salmonella, I switched from Eggland's Best to Davidson pasteurized shell eggs (I'd known that pasteurized shell eggs existed, because Alton Brown had mentioned them in more than one episode of Good Eats), even though nobody in our house eats their eggs raw or undercooked. They're difficult to find in Southern California, but Bristol Farms does carry them. In other areas, see the dealer listings on the Davidson web site.

In order to have enough eggs to bake my mother's birthday cake (and a pound cake to go with it, since I don't eat chocolate) a week ago yesterday, only days after I got back from my vacation, I had my dad run me by the nearest Bristol Farms (closer to the airport than to home!), to pick up a fresh dozen Davidsons.

As I recall, Davidson also offers pasteurized cage-free eggs, which I suppose could be described as both pasteurized and "pastured."

Actually, I don't have any experience separating raw eggs to compare it with (and thankfully, I currently only have two recipes that require it, and only one that uses the whites; neither of them require the kind of complete separation needed for, say, a souffle or an Angel Food cake).

I either use the shell-to-shell method, or Alton Brown's bare hand method (or sometimes, a little of both), and I typically end up losing about every fourth or fifth egg I separate, on average (I'm sure that would improve with experience).

When I started with them, I was actually surprised at how little difference there was in handling characteristics.

hieper, I do the authentic GBC where I start with a real cooked custard. I do take the custard way past 160. I wait for the "burps" and whisk one minute longer. To strengthen my GBC, I often up the thickener by about 30%. Just my preference and insurance policy.

The hot custard is put in the mixing bowl and whipped until room temp, when the butter is added just like the other European buttercreams.

You, of course, are in Europe, but I can imagine each country, years ago, developing a different buttercream method and then arguing how theirs was the best. To me they are all incredible, but GBC is by far my personal favorite. I'm not a sweet eater, but last night I actually put a little leftover buttercream in a measuring cup and ate it like custard. No cake needed for GBC.

Here is the FDA stand on butter:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ScienceResearch/ResearchAreas/SafePracticesforFoodProcesses/ucm094147.htm

The way I am reading it, cheap butters, often cut with water, are more succeptable. Also salted butters and those with preservatives have a better safety record. But low water content butter are safe.

If there is water or air, it can be unsafe.

I found it interesting that LOL adopted the policy of refrigeration, but like us, they are in business and this is damage control.

Spooky, yes, I have several. One is a pastry cream base and the other I made last night was peanut buttercream. These are the top two I use. The one tops my Reese's cupcakes so that is the popularity.

hieper, you are right about stability. I don't think I would frost the outside of a cake in this other than homestyle cakes. I do reinforce them. The standard recipes are just too soft. But the taste.....