Why is my meringue soft, moist and discoloured?
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I used 3 egg whites with pristine metal utensils. Absolutely no moisture, fats, etc.
Whisked slow, medium, fast, evenly spaced timing over 5 minutes.
Towards the end, around 4 minutes, started adding tablespoons of icing sugar and letting them whisk in.
Continued whisking for a further 2 minutes once all mixed.
Beautiful texture and gloss. Stiff and awesome.
Preheated oven to 100c, spread meringue out for a pavlova.
In the centre of the fan assisted oven on 100c for 2 hrs 10 mins. Turned off and sat until cold (over night and it was actually 5 hrs.)
The first 2 times I did this I got perfect results. Couldn’t wish for better. (First time I used granulated caster sugar, second was with icing sugar which gave a better texture.)
The next time I made 2 pavlova bases and put them in at the same time. Shelves were close together but still centred.
Exact same ingredients, conditions, etc.
This time they came out fluffy, like bread on the inside. Moist to the touch. Stuck to the baking paper. Most worryingly they were a discoloured orange on the outside.
I have now made another at the end of the day, but only one this time. It has turned out the same:
What makes a meringue stay moist? What makes it discolour? Is there anything I should look at considering that I did exactly the same thing each time?
Best Answer
One thing that can affect meringues is humidity. I find that I have to bake them at nearly twice as long in the summer to get them to dry out completely.
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Why are my meringues brown and soft?
If your temperature is too high, that will also cause your meringues to develop a chewy texture. Baking your meringues at a higher temperature will also brown them, while often you are looking for pristine white meringues.Why did my meringue go soft and 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.Why does my meringue look wet?
Overcooking can actually cause your meringue to become runny as well. If you go beyond the time that you're supposed to bake a pie, then sugary drops of moisture will appear on top of the meringue.How do you fix soft meringues?
To fix a batch of runny meringue, whisk the meringue for up to 15 minutes, and the meringue should stiffen up. If that doesn't work, folding an extra whipped egg white in may add enough extra stiffness. You also have the option to add a small amount of corn starch.Troubleshooting Meringue | MOST COMMON PROBLEMS | Meringue Mastery Part 5/5
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