Egg White Recipes, please.

December 7, 2006 1:59 PM

I'm looking for recipes that make use of lots of egg whites. I know meringue, but what else?

I recently got an ice cream maker, and have been playing with it a lot (at least 1 batch of ice cream each week). I love custardy, french style ice creams, so I regularly use 8-12 egg yolks in a batch. Looking for any ideas to make use of the egg whites I have left over. Nothing against meringue (and floating islands, meringue cookies, etc.), but it's kind of a pain to make and not something I want to eat every week. Also, I don't really like egg whites cooked like regular eggs (in omelets, etc.). What other options are there? It seems like such a waste to just throw them out.

posted by rorycberger to food & drink (22 comments total)

mmm, angel food cake.
posted by peep at 2:06 PM on December 7, 2006

Sponge cakes of various sorts use lots of egg whites (and would be delicious with some of your homemade ice cream).

Instead of all egg white omelets, bulk up a regular, whole egg omelet with an extra white or two for more protein with less fat.

Also, a lot of stirfry recipes call for coating the meat in egg whites and corn starch.

Some mousse recipes (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/106441) call for more whites than yolks.

Real buttercream frosting (whipped egg whites combined with hot sugar syrup and butter) uses lots of whites. Check out the frosting at the bottom of this recipe (it needs eight) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/103530

And hey, shrimp toasts! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/105584
posted by mostlymartha at 2:15 PM on December 7, 2006

Angel food cake seconded! But dude, you and I need to get together - I have the opposite problem because I like making angel food cake and never knew what to do with the yolks!
posted by whatzit at 2:19 PM on December 7, 2006

Something else to keep in mind is that you can freeze egg whites quite well, in case you don't come up with a great solution quickly enough.

A large egg white is 2 tablespoons and will fill one well of an ice cube tray.
posted by bcwinters at 2:21 PM on December 7, 2006

I fill a small casserole with vegetables and perhaps some meat and pour egg whites (sometimes with milk, salt, pepper, etc. )Microwave and its healthy breakfast frittata!
posted by stormygrey at 2:36 PM on December 7, 2006

I should clarify that the egg is pretty much a binder, so its not as eggy as an omlette.
posted by stormygrey at 2:36 PM on December 7, 2006

You can whip an egg white or two with a tablespoon of water and use that as a glue to hold seasoned breadcrumbs to poultry or firm fish filets. Dip the meat into the egg white mixute, dredge in seasoned bredcrumbs or seasoned flour and then fry in a skillet or bake.

Some ideas are oven fried chicken, breaded fried porkchops, or fried or oven baked fish.
posted by LoriFLA at 2:37 PM on December 7, 2006

I have the same love for homemade ice cream, and the same problem with surplus whites. I freeze them and then throw them into any eggy dish I'm making. Like yesterday I made a bunch of quiches, and used up all the frozen egg whites I had in the freezer. It stretches the total quantity just a little bit without compromising the taste, and you get the warm feeling of not having wasted them.

Oh, and besides the excellent suggestions above, you can use the extra whites to make chiles rellenos.
posted by bink at 2:51 PM on December 7, 2006

Two easy steps.

1. Macaroons
   2 egg whites
   1 t vanilla (or almond or lemon) extract
   2/3 c. sugar
   1 1/3 c. flaked coconut
   Beat the egg white and extract to soft peaks, add the sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Fold in the coconut. 20 min at 325 F until slightly browned.
2. Send the macaroons to Methylviolet in the mail. Problem solved!

Now best-answer me.
posted by Methylviolet at 2:57 PM on December 7, 2006

Royal icing (for cookies) uses egg whites but not yolks.
posted by raf at 3:00 PM on December 7, 2006

Wine posset (uses raw eggs)

Ingredients:

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cup (300 ml) 1/2 pint double cream (heavy cream)
3 tbsp (60 ml) lemon juice
75 ml (5 tbsp) Riesling or White Bordeaux
2 egg whites
3 tbls (25 g) icing sugar (confectioners sugar), sifted
Sponge fingers to serve

Method

1. Put the grated lemon rind into a large, deep bowl. Pour in the fresh cream, stir and leave to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2. Combine the lemon juice with the wine.

3. Whip the fresh cream until softly stiff. Gradually whisk in the wine until the mixture holds its shape. Do not overwhip as the mixture may curdle.

4. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg white until softly stiff, add the sifted sugar and whisk again. Fold evenly into the fresh cream.

5. Divide the mixture between six stemmed glasses. Chill for up to 1 hour. Serve with sponge fingers.
posted by essexjan at 3:34 PM on December 7, 2006 [1 favorite]

Feeling real ambitious? Consommé.
posted by nebulawindphone at 3:42 PM on December 7, 2006

If you're making ice-cream with the yolks, why not make sorbet with the whites? My recipe is for a lemon one but I've made it with raspberries, limes, mangoes, espresso and a bitter cocoa one that was pretty good - even if I say so myself.

Basic Lemon Sorbet:

Take the juice of two large or three medium lemons, the zest off two, a half cup of orange or lime juice, a large half cup of water and a quarter cup of sugar. Mix together in a bowl (heat a little to help the sugar dissolve if necessary) and then chill in the fridge.

In another bowl, whip 2 eggwhites until foamy and then add a quarter cup of sugar and whip until stiff. Fold in the citrus mix and freeze in the churn until nearly done. Turn out into your storage container and devour over the next couple of days. It’ll keep longer, but not in my household.
posted by ninazer0 at 4:26 PM on December 7, 2006

Angel Food, of course -- but chocolate, please. Our traditional family recipe calls for a dozen egg whites.
posted by Rash at 4:38 PM on December 7, 2006 [1 favorite]

Soups:

Egg drop (of course, doesn't use much egg though)
Avgolemno (Greek lemony rice soup thickened w/ egg)

Not sure how either would be affected by no yolk though. Both are rather mild to start.
posted by artifarce at 4:52 PM on December 7, 2006

Pav!
posted by flabdablet at 5:06 PM on December 7, 2006

You can cook them up scrambled/fried style and eat them straight (healthier than whole eggs), or put them in the middle of fresh-baked biscuits, maybe with a sausage patty.

I think that a lot of recipes that call for whole eggs can probably be made, lower-fat, using an appropriate quantity (2x?) of egg whites. You can add some oil or butter if the recipe needs it, but often it won't.

I seem to recall that macaroons and amaretto cookies ask for egg whites.
posted by amtho at 7:26 PM on December 7, 2006

Pav seconded.
posted by pompomtom at 7:40 PM on December 7, 2006

Oh yes, pavlova all the way. They taste awesome even if they do collapse as you bake them. =]
posted by cholly at 7:47 PM on December 7, 2006

pisco sour
posted by judith at 9:15 PM on December 7, 2006

I recall that egg whites were the main ingredient in home-made fortune cookies. Google for some recipes.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 7:01 AM on December 8, 2006

Chocolate Souffle uses more egg whites than yolks.
posted by GIRLesq at 9:50 AM on December 8, 2006