Leftover Egg Whites 3 Ways
Meringue, financiers or an omelet, depending on how many egg whites are in the jar.
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cook/bake time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 45 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 735 kcal
- Servings
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cooking & baking
- 1 hr 30 min
Meringue, financiers or an omelet, depending on how many egg whites are in the jar. After making carbonara, mayonnaise or crème brûlée, egg whites are left over, and they keep for three days in the fridge or months in the freezer. Here are the three uses that really work, sorted by quantity.
Why this works
Egg whites consist of about 90 percent water and 10 percent proteins, primarily ovalbumin. When beaten, these protein chains unfold and arrange themselves around the incorporated air bubbles, creating the foam. It is unstable because the chains continue to contract and squeeze out water. Sugar prevents exactly this by binding the water. That is why the ratio for meringue is twice as much sugar as egg white, and that is why the sugar is sprinkled in slowly instead of all at once. Fat is the enemy of this structure. Even a trace of egg yolk or a greasy whisk prevents the protein chains from connecting, which is one reason why egg whites are beaten in a clean metal or glass bowl and never in plastic, which holds onto fat.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Way 1: Beating the meringue
Beat three egg whites with salt and lemon juice in a fat-free metal or glass bowl until they form soft peaks. Then sprinkle in the sugar a tablespoon at a time and continue beating until the mixture is glossy and no longer feels grainy between your fingers.
- 2
Way 1: Drying for 90 minutes at 100 °C
Pipe dollops onto parchment paper and dry them for ninety minutes at 100 °C top and bottom heat, leaving the oven slightly open with a wooden spoon. Meringue is not baked but dried, as it browns and cracks at higher temperatures. Let cool in the oven.
- 3
Way 2: Baking financiers
Brown the butter until it smells nutty, and let it cool. Mix the powdered sugar, almonds and flour, stir in the unbeaten egg whites and finally the brown butter. Fill into greased molds and bake for fifteen minutes at 190 °C.
- 4
Way 3: Omelet in the pan
Whisk the egg whites with water, salt and pepper only briefly, do not beat them until frothy. Let set in butter over low heat for four minutes, sprinkle with chives, and fold. Egg whites coagulate at 62 degrees and become rubbery within a minute if the heat is too high.
Our best tips
- The bowl must be completely fat-free. A trace of egg yolk or a greasy whisk will completely prevent the egg whites from whipping, so use metal or glass instead of plastic.
- Sprinkle the sugar in slowly. If added all at once, the foam will collapse because the sugar binds the water faster than the protein structure can form.
- Egg whites can be frozen individually in ice cube trays. Once thawed, they whip just as well as fresh ones. The only difference is that they must be at room temperature.
Tasty variations
Meringue with nuts
Fold in 60 g of chopped hazelnuts at the end. They make the meringue less fragile and give it some bite, though it will be less white and needs ten minutes longer.
Financiers with lemon
Add the zest of an untreated lemon to the batter and place a berry in each mold. The acidity is the perfect counterpoint to the brown butter and makes the small cakes significantly lighter.
What is left over?
This recipe only uses the whites. There are better places for the yolks than the bin.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 735 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 89 g |
| – of which sugar | 77 g |
| Fat | 36 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
Where the 735 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
How long do leftover egg whites keep?
Three to four days in a closed jar in the fridge, three months in the freezer. To freeze, pour them individually into ice cube trays so you can count them exactly later. A medium egg white weighs about 33 g, in case you lose count.
My egg whites will not get stiff.
There might be fat in the bowl or on the whisk, a trace of egg yolk in the egg white, or the bowl is made of plastic and holding onto fat residue. Wiping the bowl beforehand with a little lemon juice solves the problem in most cases. Egg whites that are too cold whip more slowly, but they will whip.
Why do my meringues get brown and sticky?
Too high a temperature makes them brown, and too much humidity makes them sticky. Meringue is dried at 100 degrees, not baked, and the oven is left slightly open so the steam can escape. On a muggy summer day, it will still soften, as that is the sugar drawing in water.
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