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I finally stopped fighting the humidity in my kitchen
About three years ago, I was working a summer gig in Charleston, and my meringues were a total mess. They'd weep and go flat no matter what I did. I was beating my head against the wall, trying every trick in the book to dry out the air. Then, this old timer who ran a pie shop down the street saw me looking stressed and just said, 'Boy, you can't beat the air, you gotta work with it.' He told me to add a tiny pinch of cornstarch to the sugar before I started whipping. I tried it that afternoon, and it was like magic. The structure held. I was so focused on fixing the environment, I never thought to just tweak the ingredient to suit it. Has anyone else found a simple fix for a problem you were overcomplicating?
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finleyrivera5mo ago
Cornstarch trick is a lifesaver. Also found using cream of tartar helps a ton when it's really muggy.
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corap615mo ago
Honestly, fighting the air is half the fun. All these little hacks just feel like giving up to me.
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taylor.jessica5mo ago
My first few batches of meringue were a total disaster. I get the appeal of just working through the struggle. Sometimes the simple way feels like cheating a real win.
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cora_west54mo ago
Meringue struggles are real. Got into a habit a few years back where i'd make a huge batch every sunday to use up leftover egg whites. One time the humidity was so bad my peaks collapsed and i ended up with basically sugary soup. Reached out to @finleyrivera about it and they suggested chilling my bowl first, worked way better than all the fancy tricks. Started just accepting the mess and now i kinda love when it goes wrong because the next one always feels earned.
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