Okay, I'm giving away my severe inexperience - but what does "stabilize" refer to in regards to buttercream? Is this why some recipes include meringue powder or flour? Does it cause it to crust? Or keep it from getting all mushy and unworkable? And can flour be used in place of meringue powder? Lots of questions, i know, but I've been wondering, so.....
stabilize is often used with whipped cream. It is stabilized with gelatin to help firm up the icing and prevent drooping.
flour is a thickener. There are a couple of buttercreams with flour or a cooked rue for thickener.
meringue powder is eggwhites, cream of tartar and a few other ingredients. Normally, you do not sub one for the other.
Meringue powder acts as a stabilizer in buttercream by helping to hold onto the liquid in it (an emulsifier.) Icings made with MP have less tendency to crack and weep when stored. I wouldn't use flour instead. The one recipe I used with flour crusted HARD and I never used it again. Also, if the flour isn't cooked, there's a possibility of it having a floury taste.
MP is not absolutely necessary in BC, but I use it in the summer on the rare occasions that I don't make IMBC.
As far as crusting goes, that's really just a function of the high ratio of sugar to shortening. If you increase the amount of fat (e.g. by using heavy cream instead of milk or water) you will change how much and how quickly your BC crusts.
HTH
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