On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 211

orunderthebroiler—atopapie,forexample
—thesurfacegetscrispwhiletheinterior
remainsmoist.Poachedinmilkforthedish
calledFloatingIslands,theyarefirmyet
moistthroughout.
SugarinMeringuesTheadditionofsugaris
what makes a fragile egg-white foam into a
stable, glossy meringue. The more sugar
added,themorebodythemeringuewillhave,
and the crisper it will be when baked. The
proportion (by either volume or weight) of
sugartoeggwhiterangesfromabout1to1to
about 2 to 1, the equivalent of a 50% and a
67% sugar solution, respectively. The higher
is typical of jams and jellies — and also the
room-temperature limit of sugar’s solubility
in water. Ordinary granulated sugar won’t
dissolvecompletelyina“hard”meringue,and
will leave a gritty texture and weeping syrup
drops.
Superfine
and
powdered
“confectioner’s” sugar, or a premade syrup,


are better choices. (Powdered sugar, which
weighs half as much as the other sugars cup
for cup, contains 10% cornstarch to help
preventcaking,whichsomecooksdislikeand
others

value
as
moisture-absorbing
insurance.)
Meringue Types The traditional meringue
terminology—French,Italian,Swiss,andso
on — is unclear and used inconsistently.
These foams are best classified according to
the method of preparation and resulting
texture. Meringues can be eitheruncooked or
cooked. If the sugar is added after the egg
whites have been whipped on their own, the
meringue will be relativelylight; if the sugar
is added early in the whipping, the meringue
willberelativelydense.
Uncooked Meringues Uncooked meringues
are the simplest and most common, and
provideabroadrangeoftextures,fromfrothy
to creamy to dense and stiff. The lightest