frozen egg whites

[TurtleMeng]

Many books tell you whites can be frozen and used later after thawing. I am just a little scared to try it, but sometimes I don't want to make creme brulee and angel food cake (actually, I wouldn't want to make one. Doesn't taste good) back to back. Anyways, are they still perfectly fine after being frozen? Can you beat them as well?

[ellencho]

Yes they work great! I save up individually wrapped egg whites in my freezer all the time, and once I"ve accumulated a dozen of them I make angel food cake :) And if you don't want to make angel food cake then make meringue maybe? And yes, you can beat them like regular never frozen egg whites. Just be sure not to get any yolk into your egg whites before you freeze them.

Edited January 26, 2005 by ellencho (log)

[Patrick S]

Yep, you can certainly beat thawed egg whites just fine. Egg whites are actually pretty durable. You can freeze em, thaw em, leave on the counter for a few days. . .

[chiantiglace]

In fact leaving them on the counter for a little bit actually increases there whipping power. A room temp. or thus heated egg white will surely rise higher than a cold one.

[Wendy DeBord]

But store purchased egg white aren't the same. They don't consistantly whip up.

[Patrick S]

But store purchased egg white aren't the same. They don't consistantly whip up.

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Yeah, the liquid whites you buy at the store don't whip at all, at least the brand I tried. Of course, it said this in the small print on the back . . . which I only read when they failed to whip.

[Lysbeth]

But store purchased egg white aren't the same. They don't consistantly whip up.

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That's because these whites were pasteurized. They were heated to too high a temp too still be made into a meringue. There is a brand, however, that sells the packaged whites that were heated to a lower temperature and I believe they have a staiblizer added. These will whip up great, but they are hard to find. The pasteurized ones make beautiful smooth Italian buttercreams and other items so there is still a good use for them. I think it might be "Papetti" that makes both kinds of whites.

[BrentKulman]

Just don't try to defrost them in a microwave. You'll wind up with poached egg whites if you are not careful.

[little ms foodie]

How long will egg whites last in the fridge? Meaning, at what point should I freeze them??

[Patrick S]

How long will egg whites last in the fridge? Meaning, at what point should I freeze them??

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I dont have an exact answer, but I will say that whites last a lot longer than the expiration date on the carton, like weeks longer. As long as you're cooking whatever you put them in, I'd say they're good as long as they dont change color or start smelling bad. Yolks are a different story, since they don't have the antibacterial enzyme lysozyme which inhibits the growth of bacteria in whites (its called lysozyme because it causes lysis or bursting of many types of bacterial cells walls). I'd only freeze whites if you're pretty sure you're not going to use them in the next couple of weeks.

Edited January 26, 2005 by Patrick S (log)

[jgarner53]

We keep a bucket of whites in the fridge at school (probably 8 or so quarts) all the time. I haven't any idea how old they are, though they're probably about a month or so (though we're consistently cycling in new whites and taking out old for use in meringues, etc.)

[Anni]

But store purchased egg white aren't the same. They don't consistantly whip up.

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Yeah, the liquid whites you buy at the store don't whip at all, at least the brand I tried. Of course, it said this in the small print on the back . . . which I only read when they failed to whip.

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I've been using Eggology whites for the past year or two with no problem. No disclaimers on the label, and I've been able to make It. meringue just the same as I would from "fresh" whites right outta the shell. I haven't tried freezing them yet, but will add that the list of upcoming kitchen experiments.

[Patrick S]

But store purchased egg white aren't the same. They don't consistantly whip up.

←

Yeah, the liquid whites you buy at the store don't whip at all, at least the brand I tried. Of course, it said this in the small print on the back . . . which I only read when they failed to whip.

←

I've been using Eggology whites for the past year or two with no problem. No disclaimers on the label, and I've been able to make It. meringue just the same as I would from "fresh" whites right outta the shell. I haven't tried freezing them yet, but will add that the list of upcoming kitchen experiments.

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That would be the brand of liquid whites that I did not try. I think the one I used was All Whites. Since then I have used powdered whites and they work fine too, but are a hassle in that you have to whisk them for a few minutes.

[trillium]

I have a bunch of left over egg whites from summer ice cream projects stuck in the freezer. I've used them in baking and sorbet making, but I'm wondering if they'd work ok in soufflés (an apricot almond soufflé to be exact). Opinions?

thanks,

trillium

[Woods]

I have a bunch of left over egg whites from summer ice cream projects stuck in the freezer.  I've used them in baking and sorbet making, but I'm wondering if they'd work ok in soufflés (an apricot almond soufflé to be exact).  Opinions?

thanks,

trillium

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They should work just fine. I have never had a problem as long as they had no yolk in them. Woods

[Patrick S]

Ditto that. I've used thawed whites in lots of different recipes and never had a problem. They certainly whipped up like fresh whites, which would be the main concern with a souffle. OTOH, yours have been frozen "since summer," and I never had any frozen nearly that long.

[BrentKulman]

Don't make the mistake of defrosting them in the microwave, as you will quickly wind up with cooked egg whites.

I freeze my egg whites in small glass containers and defrost them by running them under hot water.

[trillium]

Ditto that. I've used thawed whites in lots of different recipes and never had a problem. They certainly whipped up like fresh whites, which would be the main concern with a souffle. OTOH, yours have been frozen "since summer," and I never had any frozen nearly that long.

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I don't think that should matter, I actually keep them in a deep freeze, and while it's no -80 like we use at work, it doesn't have defrost cycles!

thanks everybody

trillium

[chromedome]

I have used home-frozen egg whites many times, and they work great. Over Christmas, though, I brought in some frozen/pasteurized egg whites from one of my wholesalers, and those wouldn't whip worth anything.

Perhaps the more experienced could tell us whether that's typical, or just rotten luck on my part...

[Patrick S]

I have used home-frozen egg whites many times, and they work great.  Over Christmas, though, I brought in some frozen/pasteurized egg whites from one of my wholesalers, and those wouldn't whip worth anything. 

Perhaps the more experienced could tell us whether that's typical, or just rotten luck on my part...

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Some pasteurized whites are heated too high during pasteurization, and lose all ability to be whipped. I found this out the hard way with a liquid white product called 'All Whites.' The box said that it won't whip like fresh whites -- in small print on the side of the box. There is a liquid product called 'Eggology' that I am told whips just fine, and the powdered white product 'Just Whites' whip fine too.