How to make my meringues less sticky?
I've come a long way making meringues, beginning with brown all-around gooey mounds years ago and reaching stiff, tall and white pretties almost every time nowadays, but there is one thing I cannot master.
My meringues are always sticky on the outside. Not very sticky like before baking, but they stick to fingers and to each other (if I let them sit for an hour in a bowl). When I used to buy meringues, they were always kind of rough on the outside and mine have something like a smooth skin.
My current receipe goes like this: beat the whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, add powdered sugar and a bit of potato flour, beat 5-10 minutes more, form meringues on a baking tray, bake at 70-100 deg C (160-210F) for at least 2 hours (more on a humid day), cool and immediately close in boxes to prevent soaking in humidity.
Maybe I should sprinkle them with more sugar just before baking? Grandma just gave me 12 whites (she has some funny superstitions about healthy and non-healthy foods), so I can experiment tomorrow, but I don't have any ideas.
Best Answer
If the meringues are coming out of the oven sticky, you might lower the temperature slightly and extend the drying time (to avoid browning)--they should feel quite dry and very light coming out of the oven.
Sugar is hydrophilic--if the air is humid, any condensation--even when you cannot see it--on the meringues will dissolve the sugar, and then they will start to feel sticky, and the downward spiral will begin.
According to all my searching, it is best to make them on a low humidity day. Of course, where I live in the summer, we pretty much don't get those.
If you are having trouble with them in storage, you might try to buy some desiccant packets, and put them in the container. Most desiccant is not food safe, so it should not touch the meringue. Amazon has lots of options.
Pictures about "How to make my meringues less sticky?"
Quick Answer about "How to make my meringues less sticky?"
Too much moisture means sticky meringues. Linda Jackson and Jennifer Gardner say the trick is to leave the meringues in the oven after baking. Turn the heat off and let the meringues finish drying, undisturbed, for three hours or even overnight.How do you make meringues less chewy?
You can fix your chewy Meringue by rebaking it in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes. Rebaking the chewy Meringue should get all the moisture out of it which reduces its density. This will allow the Meringue to become light and airy when biting into it.Why are my meringues mushy?
This happens when the cooking temperature is too low or the baking time is insufficient. Basically, under-baking means there is too much liquid left in the meringue, which causes the foam to collapse and the excess liquid to seep out.What do you do if your pavlova is sticky?
The website of chef Nigella Lawson explains that a sticky pavlova is caused by excess moisture (via Nigella). If you're in a hot and humid climate this is going to be really difficult to avoid. Make sure you are using the correct type of sugar (caster sugar) and that you've added a pinch of cream of tartar.No Fail Italian Meringue Recipe! | for hot and humid weather! | non sticky meringue!
More answers regarding how to make my meringues less sticky?
Answer 2
Have you tried adding just a spoonful of corn starch? That's the advice I found in this video - http://www.becomeabetterbaker.com/Videos.aspx?VideoId=2edc522f-bde4-4bf3-98a5-03dba99af4fe
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Yan Krukov, Anna Shvets, Monstera, Andrea Piacquadio