What is Meringue Powder?
- Written By: S.E. Smith
- Edited By: Bronwyn Harris
- Last Modified Date: 12 March 2013
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Copyright Protected:
2003-2013 Conjecture Corporation
Meringue powder is a pasteurized egg product which is designed to replace beaten egg whites in recipes. The primary advantage of meringue powder is that since it is pasteurized, it does not contain potential sources of food borne illness such as salmonella. This trait makes it ideal for recipes which call for uncooked egg whites. Many baking supply stores sell meringue powder, and it can sometimes also be found at more general markets.
This product is made by drying egg whites and mixing them with cornstarch and gum, creating a white powder. When moistened, the cornstarch and gum help the meringue powder bind together, creating a passable substitute for fresh raw egg whites. Flavorings like vanilla are often added as well, partially to cut down on the slightly starchy taste of meringue powder.
As long as meringue powder is kept in a cool dry place, it has a fairly long shelf life. To use it, cooks simply measure out the desired amount and rehydrate it. Many recipes which call for beaten egg whites have specific measurements for meringue powder, although these recipes may require some tweaking to come out just right, as different brands rehydrate differently.
One of the most common uses for meringue powder is in royal icing, a glaze which is sometimes used for cookies. It can also potentially be used in egg nog and in other recipes which call for beaten egg whites, although your mileage may vary. It is also important to stress the fact that meringue powder is not a replacement for eggs in recipes, merely for beaten egg whites, and it may be helpful to know that despite the name, meringue powder does not actually make very good meringue.
You may want to experiment with meringue powder a bit before committing to it, because it can behave strangely in some recipes. If you know that you are going to be making something like cookies for people with compromised immune systems, plan on mixing up a couple of batches of icing before you find one which works perfectly, and be prepared to adjust the levels of spicing in your recipe to help cover up the flavor of the meringue powder, which can sometimes be quite strong.
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anon324649
Post 7 |
Spotting is moisture (water) concentrated in different locations. Either the batch of icing contained too much water or the environment in which the iced cookies were stored was humid - in either case, the icing did not dry properly. I have found that after the initial 12 hours or so after the icing is applied, the icing must dry adequately or spotting occurs (consistently). I live in northeast Ohio and it is pretty wet on a regular basis. I purchased a small dehumidifier to operate within the cover of my baker's rack to assist with the drying process after my cookies are iced. |
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anon168685
Post 6 |
Spots on royal icing are caused by humidity. Only ice on a dry day/week. |
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anon136624
Post 5 |
I have a 16 oz. canister of Wilton meringue powder which has never been opened. I don't remember when I bought and the can doesn't have an expiration date on it and I was wondering if it would still be good to use. There is a yellow sticker on the can with several code number. After reading some of the numbers to the Wilton representative, he seemed to think the canister may be over two years old. |
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googlefanz
Post 4 |
I love using meringue powder for baking -- it's one of my go-to baking ingredients, actually. You can really do so much with it.
Besides your regular old meringue cookies, you can get creative with royal icing, or even use meringue powder to replace ingredients in another recipe.
For instance, my aunt makes the greatest low fat chocolate chip cookies with meringue powder -- but you would never guess that that's her secret ingredient. So seriously, get creative with it. You can just google "meringue powder recipes" and you'll be shocked at how much comes up. |
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closerfan12
Post 3 |
Has anybody ever tried the Miss Meringue cookies? I love those things, and I have tried (and failed) to bake a decent imitation. I recently heard that they are going to start offering a meringue cookie recipe that includes meringue powder, and I was wondering if that could have been what I was missing when I was trying to make my own version.
And here I thought it was something to do with my vanilla powder or cream of tartar...
Anyway, has anybody else heard rumors like that flying around, or have managed to make your own version of Miss Meringues? I would love to get the recipe if you have! |
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TunaLine
Post 2 |
I know that I may come across as totally snooty for saying this, but I can't stand using recipes that feature meringue powder ingredients, whether that's meringue cookies or royal icing or whatnot.
As far as I'm concerned, when you're making something, using the correct baking ingredients makes a huge difference. I grew up cooking a lot, so I know that it can be a little more time consuming to use the "real" things, but you really do get such a better taste when you do.
And besides, it's really not that hard to make your own meringue. Just find a good, classic meringue recipe, link up your ingredients, and you'll do fine -- and be able to skip out on that terrible starchy meringue taste! |
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anon130677
Post 1 |
I bake custom cookies. A day after I royal ice, a spotting appears on the cookie. It gets worse with time. What is causing this? |
