Meringue refers to candy or dessert that is usually linked with Italian, Swiss, Polish, and French cuisines.
It is created using sugar and whipped egg whites.
Sometimes, acidic ingredient, cream of tartar, lemon, and vinegar is also used.
Here, a binding agent like gelatin, salt, or flour might also be added together with the eggs.
For the perfect formation of a great meringue, the key lies in forming stiff peaks through the process of denaturing a protein called ovalbumin using a mechanical shear.
Meringue also goes by different names like Meringa, Beza, Puslice, and Suspiros in countries like Italy, Poland, Brazil, and Croatia.
Meringue is believed to be originated from Switzerland by a Swiss pastry chef called “Gasparini” back in 1720.
Now, you can also try whipping up some delicious meringue treats such as the “Classic Meringue Pie Topping,” “Basic Brown Sugar Meringue”, and the “Easy Meringue Cookies”.
Can you freeze meringue? Yes, it is very much possible to freeze your meringues.
However, they do require certain important measures during the process.
You may choose to freeze it if you have leftovers from baking them for a party or brunch.
Does Freezing Affect Meringue?
No, thankfully, freezing your meringue, you won’t be lowering its quality or taste at all.
Why? Well, because as long as meringue does not come in contact with moisture, you can expect them to remain unaffected at all times.
Even if you choose to freeze it for an extended period of time, the changes will only be minimal.
One thing about Swiss meringues would be how stable it becomes, the higher you choose to bake it.
When you are making your meringue, ensure that you are cooking it at 65C+ for it to become very stable.
However, you should remember not to overcook it.
Also, when you are whisking your meringue using the double boiler, ensure that you are not incorporating any air into it.
Plus, a Buttercream Swiss Meringue freezes extremely well inside the freezer.
Here, the butter helps in stabilising and enables you to re-whip once you thaw it.
How To Freeze Meringue?
If you accidentally made the mistake of baking an excess number of meringues, then you need to freeze them.
Whenever you choose to freeze your meringues, you should do it in a way that they don’t end up breaking or losing their crispy texture.
Here’s how you can freeze them:
- First, you need to let your freshly-baked meringues cool down. You can quicken the process by putting them inside a container and transferring them to your refrigerator uncovered.
- Now you need to use an airtight container. The container’s size should depend on the number of meringues that you baked.
- Begin putting all the meringues inside the container to create the 1st layer.
- After you are done placing the first layer, put parchment paper on top of it. Proceed in placing the next layer and repeat the process until the container is full. But ensure that you leave some space between the lid and meringues to avoid crushing them.
- When you are closing the lid, avoid pressing down on your meringues. They will easily break because of their fragile nature, especially when you apply a lot of pressure.
- Once everything seems good to go, proceed in sealing the lid and ensure that it’s properly closed.
- Now, you need to start labelling your container by writing down its freezing date and contents. It is important to do so, especially when you have a lot of stuff inside the freezer.
You can expect to keep your meringues inside the freezer for over 10 months.
But if you store it with care and prevent moisture from getting in, then you can even prolong the freezing process, which is quite helpful.
How To Thaw Frozen Meringue?
When it comes to defrosting your frozen meringue, you can try any of these methods:
1st Method – You can directly transfer them to your fridge from your freezer and let the shift in temperature do its trick.
Let it thaw in there for some hours, and you will have the meringue ready.
Ensure that you don’t open the lid when it’s inside the freezer.
2nd Method – You can also choose to let it defrost at room temperature.
Proceed to take them out from your freezer and keep it on the kitchen counter to defrost.
They will be good to go after a few hours or less based on the temperature level.
3rd Method – Another great method would be to pop them inside a preheated oven and allow the heat to do its trick.
Most people prefer defrosting and eating them that way.
Ensure that you only heat the meringues for a few minutes and avoid overheating.
4th Method – Lastly, you can also take out the container containing the meringues and put it over a bowl containing warm water.
The warmth of the water will quicken the defrosting process for you.
But we would recommend the first three methods more.
Caution.
- When you are defrosting them inside the fridge or kitchen counter, avoid opening its lid. The air and moisture will ruin your meringue, causing them to develop a soft and sticky consistency.
- Do not microwave your meringue. But choose to heat it via an oven instead.
- If you are only choosing to defrost a certain number of meringues, then ensure that you don’t allow any air or moisture to seep in when you store back the remaining ones back into the freezer.
Conclusion
Meringues make for some of the tastiest desserts because you can find them everywhere, from bakeries to birthday parties to weddings.
These treats are under everyone’s alley, and they also work perfectly in decorating cakes and cupcakes.
You can also depend on these light and fluffy sweets for topping any type of meal.
Homemade meringues usually possess a soft and chewy texture with a crispy exterior, but commercial ones tend to be crispy throughout.
For a uniform crispy texture in your meringue at home, you can bake them using a low temperature of 176-194⁰F for over two hours.
You can proceed to freeze them after that.
Can You Freeze Meringue? The Complete Guide
Ingredients
- Meringue
- Air-tight containers or Ziplock bags
- Labels and markers
Instructions
- Prepare all the mentioned equipment and ingredients in the article.
- Follow the steps for proper freezing.
- Label the container with the date and contents.
- Depending on the recipe, thawing time may vary.
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