Shoutout to the old guy who told me to stop using metal bowls for my meringue

My first head chef in Chicago, a guy named Frank, saw me using a stainless steel bowl for egg whites and just shook his head. He said 'Use glass, kid. The fat in a metal bowl, even if you can't see it, will ruin your peaks.' I thought he was just being picky... but after three failed batches, I switched to a glass mixing bowl I had. The next meringue was perfect and held its shape for hours. Anyone else have a weird kitchen rule that turned out to be totally true?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_lewis1018d ago

Honestly that sounds like an old wives tale to me. I've used a stainless steel bowl for meringue for years and it's never failed once. A clean bowl is a clean bowl, the material doesn't magically hide fat. Maybe your old bowls just weren't washed well enough. I think some chefs just cling to these weird superstitions for no real reason.

charlie_fisher4518d ago

Ever check your whisk for hidden grease?