Italian Meringue Like Cottage Cheese!
Decorating By cakelove2105 Updated 5 Feb 2014 , 8:39pm by ellavanilla
How do I do to get a good-consistency Italian Meringue? today, when I thought I was finally getting it right, after turning off the mixer, my meringue started to look like cottage cheese. It sort of looked like this:
Does anybody know why this happened? Help please. I've been trying for so long now, and it just not meet my expectations.
Thank you a lot!
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I've never made an Italian Meringue BC, but if it's anything like Swiss Meringue BC then the secret is to just keep mixing until it comes together.
I was going to say the same thing. This probably relates, so here is a helpful article: http://sweetapolita.com/2011/04/swiss-meringue-buttercream-demystified/
AYonr butter was probably too cold. If you take a dishtowel soaked in warnm water and wrap the mixer bowl while you whip the butterceam that will warm it up and it will smooth out.
Yonr butter was probably too cold. If you take a dishtowel soaked in warnm water and wrap the mixer bowl while you whip the butterceam that will warm it up and it will smooth out.
Thank you costumerczar, I did not add butter to my IM, However, I do follow the same recipe.
A
Original message sent by cakelove2105
Thank you costumerczar, I did not add butter to my IM, However, I do follow the same recipe.
Wait, if you don't use butter, what are you using? That isn't Italian meringue with no butter. What is your recipe?
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The meringue could be over-beaten.
The sugar syrup could have too much sugar in it
The syrup may be over-cooked.
It may have recrystallized. Does it contain an invert sugar or cream of tartar?
What is your recipe ?
Thank auzzi, I think I over beaten it. I was waiting until I could feel the bowl completely cool after adding the syrop, but seeing that it never cooled, I decided to stop the mixer as It mixed for around 20 minutes or more. this is the recipe:
1 cup of egg whites (7 or 8 egg whites) = 8 ounces
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp of cream of tartar
¼ cup of granulated sugar (50 g)
1 tbs of vanilla (5 ml
AOh you're not making buttercream I get it now! I thought you meant imbc since that will break and look like cottage cheese.
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Wait, if you don't use butter, what are you using? That isn't Italian meringue with no butter. What is your recipe?
I'm curious too, which recipe for IMBC did you use without butter?
I love IMBC and can definitely help you with troubleshooting, but I really don't know if it will help if you used something like margarine or shortening.
Anyway, to resolve the "cottage cheese" texture issue of IMBC made with butter, I would take out a scoop, about 1 cup full, and microwave for 10 to 20 seconds or until just melted, not hot!
Then with the mixer on medium I would pour the warm, not hot, melted IMBC into the rest of the batch and incorporate fully.
OOPS! I should have read further, you aren't making IMBC, you are making IM, also delicious.
Are you using a thermometer? Have you calibrated it? I wonder if you syrup is too hot?
Grab a cup of ice, fill it with cold water, stick your thermometer in it. If it is accurate it will read freezing 32 degrees.
AI over beat mine one time and it came out just like cottage cheese. So if you're suspecting that..I can definitely tell you overbeating can produce that result
I think it needs more sugar. I would do 1 c of sugar for that many eggs.
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OOPS! I should have read further, you aren't making IMBC, you are making IM, also delicious.
Are you using a thermometer? Have you calibrated it? I wonder if you syrup is too hot?
Grab a cup of ice, fill it with cold water, stick your thermometer in it. If it is accurate it will read freezing 32 degrees.
Hey! thanks a lot LeannW. I boiled my syrup at medium temperature, and then switched to medium-high since my egg whites were ready to add the syrup, which wasn't ready yet. it got crystallized. do you think that might be the problem?
Where I work, we get pasteurized egg whites that do NOT work in meringues. I don't know why, I've tried to make it work several times. It just won't happen. Either it separates and looks kind of cottage cheese-y, or it never even whips up. I use real egg whites that I separate.
I use a 2-1 ratio of sugar to whites, with a pinch of cream of tartar in the whites. An easy trick I learned in pastry school, if you don't trust your thermometer... get a spatula with a hole at the end of the handle. Dip the handle in the sugar and try to blow a bubble. Once you can blow a bubble of sugar through the hole, it's the right temp to pour into your whipping whites. Hope that helps!
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Where I work, we get pasteurized egg whites that do NOT work in meringues. I don't know why, I've tried to make it work several times. It just won't happen. Either it separates and looks kind of cottage cheese-y, or it never even whips up. I use real egg whites that I separate.
I use a 2-1 ratio of sugar to whites, with a pinch of cream of tartar in the whites. An easy trick I learned in pastry school, if you don't trust your thermometer... get a spatula with a hole at the end of the handle. Dip the handle in the sugar and try to blow a bubble. Once you can blow a bubble of sugar through the hole, it's the right temp to pour into your whipping whites. Hope that helps!
Thank you akrainis :)
ADoes anyone know how long a meringue normally takes to cool down?
I don't think the crystallization would cause the cottage cheese like texture, although the crystallization is undesirable
Your syrup ingredients sound right, It sounds like you're not using a thermometer? it is important that you cook your syrup to soft ball, 238 degrees. In my experience it takes at least 10 minutes to cool with the mixer running.
One more question... did you pour your syrup into the egg whites while the mixer was running? it is an art form but practice makes perfect, you want the mixer on medium/medium-high and you pour the 238 degree syrup between the edge of the bowl and the whisk.
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I don't think the crystallization would cause the cottage cheese like texture, although the crystallization is undesirable
Your syrup ingredients sound right, It sounds like you're not using a thermometer? it is important that you cook your syrup to soft ball, 238 degrees. In my experience it takes at least 10 minutes to cool with the mixer running.
One more question... did you pour your syrup into the egg whites while the mixer was running? it is an art form but practice makes perfect, you want the mixer on medium/medium-high and you pour the 238 degree syrup between the edge of the bowl and the whisk.
Thank you LeanneW. I did all that. I had a thermometer. But I don't know why some recipes says to let it cook until 238, some 245, and some 240 degrees . I dont know what to believe. Also, none of the recipes mention at what temperature the syrup should be cooked. This is why it crystallized, I put it to medium-high temperature. Do you know at what temperature I should've put it?
My mixer was running at the highest speed while pouring the syrup. and I tried my best to pour it between the edge of the bowl and the whisk, but like you said; practice makes it perfect :)
It really sounds like you're doing everything right!
And the difference between 238 and 240 in this recipe is negligible, but 245 is a little hot, you don't want to see any amber color to the sugar.
I cook my syrup on the highest heat. I put the sugar and water in the pot, place on the heat, stir once at the beginning and then don't stir again. If you are concerned about crystals you can brush the sides of the pot with water while it cooks, but I don't bother with this.
Another technique to avoid crystals is to cook the sugar with the lid on the pot, condensation prevents crystals from forming, but it takes forever to get hot enough since the water doesn't evaporate fast.
Based on the other advice offered I think it must be over whipping that caused it, I really don't think the crystals could cause that.
Have you made another batch?
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It really sounds like you're doing everything right!
And the difference between 238 and 240 in this recipe is negligible, but 245 is a little hot, you don't want to see any amber color to the sugar.
I cook my syrup on the highest heat. I put the sugar and water in the pot, place on the heat, stir once at the beginning and then don't stir again. If you are concerned about crystals you can brush the sides of the pot with water while it cooks, but I don't bother with this.
Another technique to avoid crystals is to cook the sugar with the lid on the pot, condensation prevents crystals from forming, but it takes forever to get hot enough since the water doesn't evaporate fast.
Based on the other advice offered I think it must be over whipping that caused it, I really don't think the crystals could cause that.
Have you made another batch?
before this one yes, like two or three times. I never get it right. It either melt when applied to the cake or turned into cottage cheese. I dont know what I'm doing wrong, but i never get the right consistency to decorate
I found this video, it might be helpful. The recipe is a little different but give it a try.
http://www.marthastewart.com/964932/how-make-italian-meringue#964928
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I found this video, it might be helpful. The recipe is a little different but give it a try.
http://www.marthastewart.com/964932/how-make-italian-meringue#964928
Seems helpful, Thanks :)
Just wanted to share that I finally pulled it off. I've been reading a lot about Italian meringue and I found out that this meringue is a little fussy. There are a lot of thing you gotta take into account before, during, and after the process of making it.
I don't if I was just lucky but I got it right. I just made I little bit, (1/2 cup of egg whites) I hope that's not the reason why i did it good, because I gotta make a lot of it for my brother's birthday. Now I gotta find the way to add color without ruining it
Thank you all for your suggestions and comments :)
. I agree that it was over beating. sounds like you're describing a "dried out" meringue. if you add a small amount of cream of tartar when your eggs start to foam, it can help prevent over beating.
i only run my mixer at high speed while adding the sugar. run it on medium for 2 minutes and then the lowest and slowest until it cools
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