The texture of macarons is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The shell is thin and crispy, but if you bite into it, you will get a soft and sticky inner layer, so the macaron is simple but rich in texture. Although it is very sweet and sweet, it has conquered many people, and the main reason is that it has a unique but full of connotative charming mouth.

The secret of the macaron, which is full of connotation, comes from the egg beating process, which can be called a compulsory course for novice dessert novices, but it is also the most important thing for the pastry chef to advance, that is, the beating of egg white.

The egg whites can be summarized as follows:

First, coarse bubbles: the foam is coarse, and the protein solution is turbid.

Second, wet foaming: the egg whites gradually solidify after stirring, the egg whites begin to be shiny and soft satin-like, and when the whisk is lifted, there is a spike of two to three centimeters bent down. At this time, the wet foam is most suitable for making angel cakes.

Third, neutral foaming: the egg whites are very shiny, as smooth as whipped cream, and when lifting the whisk, the egg white spikes are still a little curved.

Fourth, hard foaming: the protein is still shiny, and the protein peak is firm. Meringue at this stage can be used to make chiffon cakes.

The coarse bubble whipping is suitable for baking the mouth of the dough moist, softer than chiffon cake, but not as thick as muffin cake, an almost jelly-like, but not as solid as jelly, as if it is dark chocolate that will be melted, tempting is not shallow, the timing of coarse bubble whipping is very particular, slightly insufficient, only 10 seconds, the egg white will be dull because of over-whipping.

Fresh eggs are the way to make cakes. Stale egg whites quickly collapse when mixed with other materials. Then bake in the oven and it won't swell. Every pastry chef has his own way of identifying fresh eggs. Wu You chooses to put the eggs in water with a small amount of table salt, and if the eggs sink, it means that the eggs are fresh. And the faster the eggs sink, the longer the eggs will be. But if the egg is floating. Then it means that the egg is broken.

Bai Xia's behavior is even more bizarre, even soaking the eggs in ice cubes to make them cool down. Such a grotesque behavior made Wu You's brows furrow slightly, you know, eggs at room temperature are relatively easy to beat, it is impossible for Bai Xia not to know this, but why is such a grotesque behavior?

Bai Xia seemed to be intent on explaining it to Wu You. Instead, he turned to face Wu You, took out the two eggs from the ice pile at the same time, and said, "I don't understand, do you?" ”

Wu You glanced at Bai Xia and snorted coldly, I don't know what kind of medicine is sold in Bai Xia's gourd, at this time, a thin layer of ice mist has been attached to the surface of the eggshell, it is conceivable that the temperature of egg white is already very low, not to mention whisking, I am afraid it is a little difficult to use it for cooking.

However, Bai Xia disagreed, for ice eggs. He has his own unique way of using it. With a slight subtle exertion of the right hand holding the egg, the two eggs were carved together, and the sound was crisp and short. The sound of eggshells cracking is almost impossible to capture.

An unbelievable scene happened, Bai Xia barely made much effort, and the egg whites overflowed like clear water, falling into the mixing dish, and the originally viscous egg whites were gurgling like clear water at this time.

Wu You's eyes were sharp, but he saw the clue, and Bing was the initiator.

Bai Xia smiled: "It is true that eggs at room temperature are more suitable for whipping, but ice eggs are easier to separate the yolk protein. Therefore, after removing the egg from the refrigerator, you can immediately separate the egg white yolk, and there will be no trace of egg yolk in the egg white liquid. But that's not enough. To ensure that there is no hint of egg yolk in the egg white, use ice to cool the eggs. This kind of protein is the most perfect. ”…

Despite this, it does take a lot of time to return the chilled egg white to normal temperature, but this period of time is also used by Bai Xia.

As the saying goes, the process of cooking macarons and their attention to detail, in fact, all dessert dishes are sloppy, especially when it comes to egg whipping equipment, especially with special care. It is important to make sure that all the tools used to whip the egg whites are clean, including your hands. Secondly, the container for egg whites and the egg whisk should be waterless and oil-free. The egg white liquid can't be mixed with a trace of egg yolk, otherwise the egg white will not be able to be whipped, which is done by both Wu Youyi and Bai Xia, although Bai Xia's actions seem to be a little big, but it is undeniable that this will be of some help to him in the next process of beating egg white.

Wu You, who was first dismounted by Bai Xia, naturally couldn't sit idly by, he had to do something to fight back, and at this time, the copper basin was undoubtedly a sharp weapon for Wu You. In the process of stirring and whipping, the trace amount of acid that copper can release has the effect of stabilizing the meringue, so the volume of protein liquid pumped in copper utensils will be 1/3 times more than that of other standard containers. The same mass, more fluffy volume, then means one thing – a better texture and texture.

Each chef has his own temperament, and although the same cuisine generally adheres to the same process, there is an unwritten rule in the culinary world regarding the selection of ingredients and the use of equipment, so it is not consistent with the opponent.

Although such a rule is not necessary, but self-respecting chefs will spontaneously abide by him, Bai Xia is no exception, since Wu You took the lead in using copper utensils, then he can only give up the choice of copper utensils when he looks at the egg whites that have not yet returned to room temperature.

But this does not mean that Bai Xia has given up the confrontation, there are no copper utensils, so the second choice should be stainless steel basins. Adding a small amount of potassium bitartrate to stainless steel, that is, it is other powder, can also replace copper to play a stabilizing role. It's not as convenient as copperware, but it's a great idea. Add a quarter teaspoon of the powder to every two egg whites to help whip the egg whites.

Neither plastic nor glassware is ideal for pots. Even after thorough washing, plastic utensils can still adhere to oil and water. The glassware was too slippery, causing the egg white to slip off the edge of the basin very quickly. Aluminium should be avoided altogether, as it can turn egg whites gray.

Incidentally, white vinegar or lemon juice has the same effect, in the same amount as other powders. And Bai Xia's choice this time is lime juice, which must be sour and astringent with the aroma of melons and fruits, which will definitely become a strong force for Bai Xia.

For Wu You's offensive, Bai Xia not only did not panic, but also used his rich heritage to resolve it into a counterattack, which was convincing.

But in this way, Bai Xia also limited his taste to a certain extent, because the egg white was mixed with lemon juice, so in the later selection of fruit ingredients, there would be more or less limitations, if Wu You could seize this opportunity to fight against the army, the outcome would be unpredictable.

Egg beating inevitably involves the question of whether to use a portable or desktop electric egg beater. In fact, this headache still depends on the amount of protein.

If you need to beat more than 3 egg whites at a time, choosing a tabletop egg beater will save time and effort. Otherwise, the portable electric whisk will be effective in making beautiful protein bubbles. However, it does not mean that non-electric egg whisks cannot produce satisfactory egg white foam, as long as you choose an egg whisk with a large number of steel rings, and a portable electric whisk can also play beautiful egg white foam. Because the more rings you have, the easier it is to whip up, and the spiral type will be easier than the straight one. The speed of whipping the egg whites should gradually change from low speed to medium high speed, if you start at high speed, the meringue is not large enough and unstable because of the excessive foam. …

Roughly making a quick list of fruits that his opponent might use, Wu You formulated an attack plan, and then added a pinch of salt when the egg whites were still mucus-like. The addition of table salt not only enhances the flavor, but also makes the egg whites easier to whip. However, there are also some people who choose to mix the salt and the classification together because the salt will destroy the stability of the egg white, which is extremely careful about the chef's technique and time.

The same technique cannot be imitated, so Baixia does not add table salt, because lemon juice has been added to the utensils in advance. Therefore, whip the egg whites at low speed first, and after a certain extent, coarse bubbles will appear. At this time, a certain proportion of granulated sugar is added to the egg white, not only to add sweetness, but also to add granulated sugar to make the meringue more delicate and the foam is long-lasting and stable. For a soft meringue, you need one portion of granulated sugar and one portion of egg white, and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar beat one egg white, so that the meringue is firmer. If you whip with less than 2 tablespoons of sugar, the resulting meringue will retract quickly. The timing of the addition of granulated sugar to egg whites cannot be ignored. If the amount of granulated sugar in the recipe is equal to or less than 1/4 cup, it is best to add it when you start whipping. Otherwise, when it is quickly wet, sugar is added, and the volume of the egg white is almost 4 times that of the original. Adding too early will hinder the protein foaming, but if it is too late, the stability of the protein foam will be poor, and the sugar will not be easy to beat, which will also cause the egg white to be whipped too much. It should be noted that the granulated sugar should be gradually added along the wall of the basin, and do not pour it into the center of the egg white, otherwise the meringue that has been beaten may defoam.

Bai Xia's capture of every moment and the amount of sugar were extremely accurate, which made Wu You's palms subconsciously begin to sweat a little, this was indeed not an opponent that could be dealt with simply. (To be continued)