Egg Whites

For best results, I prefer that the temperature of the egg whites be cooler than room temperature, around 60 degrees. Cooler whites are more viscous and do not incorporate air as quickly as whites at room temperature, but the air bubbles that form hold better. The result is egg whites whipped to their optimum, not their maximum, capacity, leaving room for them to expand in the oven. You need wet and shiny whites with soft peaks that end when they are lifted from the whisk. If you whip the whites too stiff, incorporating other ingredients will require extra folding, and in the process you’re bound to lose volume. At the same time these overextended air cells can collapse and deflate during the baking process. (See the tips for whipping egg-white foams successfully.)