Italian Meringue

There are three main types of meringue: French, Swiss, and Italian. Each type has its own unique method of preparation and ideal applications.

French meringue: In this method, egg whites and sugar are whisked together until they become thick and form stiff peaks. French meringue is commonly used for meringue cookies and pavlovas.

Swiss meringue: Here, egg whites and sugar are gently heated over a water bath until the sugar dissolves completely. The mixture is then whisked until stiff peaks form. Swiss meringue is mainly used for things that are served immediately, such as baked ice cream, or it can be combined with butter to make a Swiss meringue buttercream.

Italian meringue – Here you first need to cook a syrup, until it reaches a temperature of 116°C-120°C, then the egg whites are whisked with the syrup. The tricky part is measuring the exact temperature of the syrup and working with a piping hot syrup.

Italian meringue: The process for Italian meringue involves first cooking a syrup to a temperature of 116°C-120°C. The hot syrup is then slowly poured into whisked egg whites. This method requires precision in measuring the syrup’s temperature and handling the piping hot syrup. Italian meringue is the most stable among the three types and is often used for cakes, pies, or any recipe that requires a meringue that can be consumed raw while retaining its shape.

To simplify the preparation of Italian meringue, we have developed an easier version. Our method is similar to Swiss meringue but eliminates the need for a water bath by using Ztove’s temperature control. In our recipe, the egg whites and sugar are heated and kept at about 80 ºC for 5 minutes. This allows the sugar to dissolve completely and changes the structure of the egg whites, resulting in a more stable meringue. This approach provides the stability of an Italian meringue without the complexities of preparing the syrup.