Whipping

Meringue whipped to a soft peak will not hold its shape; it will slowly settle or fall. Meringue properly whipped to a stiff peak will not change shape as you pipe it from a pastry bag or work with it; you should actually be able to turn the bowl of meringue upside down after it is finished whipping with no problem (or mess). Be observant: There is a fine line between stiff peaks and overwhipped, dry peaks. Meringue that is overwhipped and dry is hard to pipe into precise shapes and is impossible to fold into a batter without getting small lumps of meringue throughout. Meringue whipped to stiff peaks should still appear shiny, not dry or broken.