How do I make meringue using a whipped cream charger?

Question

What is the method and ingredients for making small hard meringues using a whipped cream charger? How do I combine the ingredients in the charger prior to whipping? Please help - I can't find this anywhere.

Answer 1

Actually, this can be done but it may not be convenient to do if you aren't in a restaurant setting where this can streamline your process. If you take equal parts egg whites and sugar, beat them together, cook at 74C for 30minutes and then transfer them to the siphon and charge with 4 cartridges, dispense to desired shape, and then bake at 150C until set (this will vary depending on size and shape) you should be good to go.

As I said, this is about the same as doing it the old fashioned way, time wise.

Answer 2

As the comments above have summarized, this probably is not practically possible.

Egg whites form a foam when the proteins are coagulated, trapping the water in a film that holds the air bubbles. This may require extended mechanical emulsification not provided by the pressurized gas.

Aaronut also notes that in regard to the pressurized devices:

Typically you need a high fat content to use a whipper successfully; they are tolerant to certain gelling agents and stabilizers like gelatin or dextrose, but only to a point. Egg whites have zero fat, and they need a long time and a gentle start to whip, which isn't really what the cream whippers are good at.

_{Note that I wikid this so I am not farming rep; feel free to edit and clarify.}

Answer 3

There's a recipe for meringue on the iSi website. The process:

Pass the egg white through a fine mesh sieve and stir in sugar in a casserole dish. heat to 50 °C (122 °F). Ensure that the sugar fully dissolves. Beat briefly with an egg whisk, remove from the heat, and cool the dish by placing on ice water. Pass the mixture through the iSi funnel & sieve directly into the 0.5 L (~17 fl. oz.) iSi Whipper. Screw on 1 iSi cream charger and shake vigorously. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Shake vigorously before serving.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Just beat the egg whites and sugar. Otherwise it might be hard to clean the canister once you succeed. You'd definitely have to spoon it out. Someone has told you incorrectly that restaurants use CO2.