This week we’re going over the technique of whipping liquid into peaks. Recipes for meringue say, “whip until stiff peaks” or recipes for whipped cream might say, “whip until medium peaks form”. But what does that mean??
I’ll be using photos of meringue to demonstrate all stages because it’s one of the few things that need to be all the way to stiff peaks. Using whipping cream or other liquids may appear slightly different.
(If you want the recipe for meringue, look here and instead of piping a disc just pipe little ghost shapes!They should be done at about 40 minutes.)
Ribbon stage: This stage is called “ribbon” because when you lift your whisk out of the mixture and let it drip off you should be able to see a ribbon form on top of the meringue and ease back into the mixture.
Soft peaks: When you get to this stage the mixture should be thick enough to stay on your whisk but should not hold any definition when lifted. Moving your bowl around should allow for the mixture to move quite easily.
Medium peaks: When lifting your whisk out of the bowl a peak should form, but flop over, not holding still and stiff. Moving your bowl around at this stage should see slight movement.
Stiff peaks: When at this stage you should be able to lift your whisk out of the bowl and have a defined peak that stays in straight up and in place. Moving your bowl around at this stage should see very little to no movement.
