I am making a wedding cake, buttercream icing. We usually use this recipe for Italian meringue, where you heat the sugar and water to 250 degrees and then pour it into the whipped egg whites. Well, for some reason the egg whites are cooking and leaving little strings in my icing. Does anyone know why this is happening and what to do about it?????

I've only ever made IMBC once, but it sounds like your sugar is too hot when you're adding it to the eggs. I think it has to be 240*, not 250*?

Here is a link I found very helpful for IMBC! http://www.cakescanada.com/HowTo/IMBC2.pdf

BTW, welcome to Cakecentral - you'll love it here!

i use a simpler rec..

one pound of egg whites, 2 pounds of granulated sugar...

whisk in mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water..till all the sugar dissolves..you should feel no grains..

then place whip in machine and whip till you can place the inside of your wrist to the bowl without burning yourself..

add 3 pounds unsalted, soft butter that you have cut into chunks ..before you start..lol

this rec. can be doubled, tripled and so on and so forth..

let the machine whip the mix till it start to look curdled..then add a little flavoring...about 2 ounces is the max.

You need to heat the syrup to 248. I find if it goes to 250 I get scrambled eggs. Also, make sure you pour the syrup in slowly. If you go too fast, it will also start to cooke your eggs.
Keep trying at this. IMBC is delicious once you get the hang of it.

I learned from class that you heat till 239 or 239
then take off the burner. The sugar is still cooking
and will be at 240 to 241. You don't want
it any hotter than that.