Ingredients

　　

Not enough

Step 1

Before beating, add 1 teaspoon cream of tartar for each cup of egg whites. They will beat up fluffier, thus having greater volume.

　　

Overwhipped

Step 2

If you’ve overwhipped your egg whites, they’ve lost some of the volume you were going for. It is possible that adding an extra egg white and whipping again, carefully this time, will rescue your whites. If you get a nice volume, you can continue with your recipe as planned. You don’t need to change any recipe proportions. However, this fix doesn’t always work. You may need to start over with fresh egg whites.

　　

Too many

Step 3

Freeze them, one to an ice cube tray section. When they are frozen, remove them from the tray and store them in a plastic bag in the freezer. They will last for months.

　　

Won’t whip

Step 4

The eggs should be at least 3 days old. If you got them at a supermarket, they probably are. They should also be at room temperature. Either let them sit for 30 minutes or dunk them in lukewarm water for 5 minutes.

　　

Step 5

The beaters must be very clean and free of grease; even a tiny bit may retard whipping.

　　

Step 6

And if you’ve done all that and they still won’t whip, add a pinch of cream of tartar or a few drops of lemon juice. The whites may be a bit fluffier than usual, but they will whip.

　　Cooks' Note

　　See also eggs, general

　　How to Repair Food, Third Edition