Will the carton egg whites whip up for baking?

I have a meringue recipe that calls for 1.5 c of whites, and no use for yolks. My grocer sells little cartons of organic 100% whites near the egg substitute, and it seemed a good shortcut, but want to be sure they will still whip up properly!

stacey_ballis
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35 Comments

Barbara February 11, 2023
Someone suggested using 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar with each egg white used, adding when eggs had been beaten to very foamy but nut stiff. Then mix in and start adding the sugar. I did this and it worked for me. I will post the name of the site in a few minutes because it gave a lot of information.
 
PaulaMarie S. August 29, 2022
Carton egg whites will not work for meringue since they're pasteurized.
 
Sara August 11, 2021
What I notice is no one has mentioned where they are, and the weather. Altitude and atmospheric pressure and humidity all affect cooking, especially anything with a meringue- when I started baking as a young woman, we did not have air-conditioning in Texas at least not in my house in San Antonio. I learned at that time that I could only make meringue on a clear crisp day which is fairly rare here given the high humidity.
 
davidlumto January 22, 2020
I made Swiss chocolate macarons using Costco’s commercial egg whites that turned out perfect. That said, there were some differences: 1) macaron batter was a bit more runnier than normal, so I decided not to bang the sheet to remove air bubbles.
2) The macarons were slightly flatter than ones made with real eggs.
 
Potaro September 20, 2020
omg those look beautiful. Do you mind sharing the recipe?
 
Bessiecla November 25, 2019
I’ve tried the carton of egg whites and I’ve found that while it may take a while, Pete and Gerry brand works wonderfully. Egg beaters does not work well at all. I can get it to come together but much softer than it should be and a bit slimy. I mixed it with about a cup of ABC as to not waste it and that was fine. I’ve also tried a store brand we have here (price chopper) and it’s worked beautifully. I think you need to experiment with different brands for sure. My preferred method is with actual egg whites but I hate wasting the yolks!
 
Bernice May 12, 2019
Hi! If anyone is still wondering, I did an experiment using Trader Joe’s carton egg whites vs. shelled egg whites and found no difference in the end result, even if the carton egg white meringue was not as stiff. I’m sure it varies by brand, but thought that people might like to know that TJ's egg whites work. Photos on my blog: https://wordpress.com/post/memroars.wordpress.com/1421
 
Bernice May 12, 2019
Sorry, here's the correct link: https://memroars.wordpress.com/2019/05/13/meringue-in-a-carton/
 
Lauren July 27, 2019
Doing the lord's work with this experiment, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
 
Farnaz K. November 8, 2019
Thank you very much I was EXACTLY searching for this, with a Trader Joe's carton in my hand wondering :)
 
kreine March 3, 2019
I made coffee meringues last night using Organic Valley egg whites. I used 1/2 cup whites, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, pinch of salt and 1+ Tbs instant espresso. I added the sugar when they were very frothy and had climbed way up the bowl, 1 Tbs at a time. They turned silky smooth in a reasonable time, but at least 10 min total and maybe more. They cooked about 2 hrs at 200 deg, a short while at 225, and stayed in the oven maybe 1/2 hr. They were perfect.
 
Sharon T. February 4, 2018
I used my Costco eggwhites for 7 minute frosting. I had to make it 15 minute frosting, but it worked. Next time, since a had a small amount left -- maybe one egg worth -- and some frozen egg whites, I combined them and it took only 7 minutes. I'm going to try some other experiments as well, and maybe the idea of combining fresh and these to save on egg yolks, which don't keep as well as the whites. These were from Costco.
 
cosmiccook December 24, 2017
Costco will take the product back as will Trader Joes--I plan on returning mine--glad I saw this post BEFORE I decided to make meringues --thanks everyone
 
Eva C. December 18, 2017
I should know better. Tried to take the shortcut. Used the Costco liquid egg whites, six cartons to the box. In my defense, the box did not have all the information the cartons did. All the cartons recommended not using them for meringue or angel cake. Too late for me. When the egg whites were taking much too long to whip up, I started to research. So here I am. After 45 minutes (thank you Kitchen-Aid) of whipping the meringue actually looked beautiful. I continued adding the rest of the ingredients, getting them on the cookie sheet, in the oven and the oven turned off. A few minutes later I looked at them and they are all flattened out and full of craters. Hopefully, they will still taste decent but they will not be leaving my kitchen. Next time - I'll be separating eggs. In the meanwhile, I'll be eating a lot of egg white omelets. I have 51 serving left in the box.
 
Ladyelisa1951 January 15, 2020
I couldn’t get the Costco pasteurized eggs to whip, although I added Cream of Tarter. I’m wondering if my beaters are too old and weak. Is that ever a factor?
 
Jessica K. May 5, 2020
I might be a bit late, but I actually tried the Costco pasteurized eggs for Swiss meringue buttercream, and they came out PERFECT! I had to whip them longer than I normally would (so yes, you will need a strong mixer), but I was able to whip them until stiff peaks formed. I added some cream of tartar before whipping.
 
Ceramic June 25, 2017
My local Safeway carries a brand called Pete and Gerry's-- cage free liquid egg whites. Tried them yesterday for a Pavlova. They did not whip up quite as well as regular egg whites, but they did the job and in my opinion, the trade off is well worth it to avoid all the extra egg yolks. The batch I whipped with a pinch of cream of tartar did a little better than the batch whipped with a tsp vinegar.
 
Stephanie B. April 30, 2017
Wow sounds like lots of variation in answers. Depending on what you're making, you could use the egg yolks for a french/swiss buttercream. If you're making maracon, you could use the buttercream as a filling. I've done this before, and the extra frosting kept well in the refrigerator.
 
Angela S. April 30, 2017
After reading all the comments here, it seems there is no consensus, so allow me to add my own two cents.

I needed to make 3 batches swiss meringue buttercream in 3 different flavors. That's a dozen egg whites and no use for the yolks, so I purchased EW in a carton and the only ingredient was the EW. 2 of the frosting recipes were from Cook's Illustrated and had been successful in the past. Both turned out just fine with the carton EW. The 3rd flavor was a new one to me, but the recipe appeared to have the same ingredients, ratios, and process as the other two with the exception of the key ingredient, pureed strawberries. I actually did a test of the strawberry frosting, because I hadn't used it before and it eventually turned out alright. Because the frosting wouldn't come together and just appeared slimy, for lack of a better word, I ended up adding a couple pinches of cream of tartar and maybe a cup of powdered sugar. The extra sugar helped to "dry out" the frosting if you can imagine that. Today was the day I needed the strawberry frosting and it totally failed. The curdled mess wouldn't come together and so I tried again. This time using a recipe from Martha Stewart (CI didn't have a version of this frosting), and it all seemed to be just fine until I added the strawberry puree. Now, I used frozen strawberries, but it looked fine until I added the full amount that was called for in the recipe. Again, it looked "wet" and "slimy", so I added some powdered sugar to dry it out and it helped a bit.
It tastes absolutely delicious, like strawberry ice cream, but it makes me sad to look at it.

 
Stephanie B. April 30, 2017
Try using freeze-dried berries in frosting to cut out the extra water. They should food process easily to give a smooth texture.
 
Lisa C. May 23, 2019
Another suggestion - use jam instead of fresh or frozen berries for your buttercream. Excellent results!
 
Hana March 6, 2017
Just used 100% egg whites from the carton (Costco brand) to make merengue cookies. Was skeptical at first, but they whipped up beautifully with a 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar.
 
Max K. February 25, 2017
NO, NONE OF THEM!
 
itsnoteasyeatinggreen October 19, 2015
I tried yesterday with two different type of egg whites. First I tried egg beaters egg whites and it was a disaster. I then tried Pete and Gerrys. At first I didn't think it would work, but then I tried it with a full teaspoon of cream of tartar and did not add the sugar until after I had soft peaks. It took much longer to beat up, but they worked beautifully.
 
CarlaCooks August 23, 2015
If you decide to use fresh eggs from the shell, you can always freeze the yolks (you can freeze the whites as well in case you ever make a big batch of mayo or hollandaise).
 
Raevyn S. August 18, 2015
only reason it says it is not suitable for meringue is because egg whites in a carton have chemical stabilizers added to them so the egg doesnt go bad in the carton. they do work for meringue but they DON'T work for making macaron cookies though
 
Celia W. March 26, 2015
Agree with previous response - don't waste your ingredients only to find out the egg whites in the carton don't perform. As an experienced baker, I've tried twice and they don't firm up properly, especially if you're making a meringue. Take a few extra minutes to separate real eggs!
 
Robert S. October 21, 2014
No. I just tried. I have been making meringue for decades and never had a problem until I tried to use prepackaged liquid egg whites today. I was going to make angel food cake and thought I would try this as a shortcut.
My first batch would not stiffen even after I added cream of tarter. I figured maybe I didn't let them warm enough to room temperature. I tried again. They just won't stiffen.
Out of desperation I turn to the internet to see most manufactures don't recommend their product for meringue or angel food cakes as the whites are pasteurized. I guess it somehow affects the molecular structure. That is what I get for trying to cheat.
 
Greenstuff September 29, 2014
The Cook's Illustrated people found that some carton egg whites whip better than others. http://www.cookscountry.com/taste_tests/580-processed-egg-whites
Be sure to watch the video.
 
Jopie September 29, 2014
After reading your answers here I decided to try it and made great Merengue for Pavlova dessert. I used a KitchenAid and Sunnyside egg whites which were pasteurized. And no, this is not a commercial. I fully intend never to waste egg yolks again in making Merengue.
Jopie
 
stacey_ballis February 20, 2012
Says on the carton that they are pasturized and not suitable for meringues.
 
stacey_ballis February 20, 2012
Was at the grocer today, says specifically on the carton that they can not be used for meringues or other baking requiring whipped whites. Thanks to all for replying.
 
boulangere February 20, 2012
In terms of chemistry, there is no reason at all that you can't use them for meringues. In terms of biology, on the other hand, it sounds as though they are unpasteurized, and if that's the case, that is the reason for the admonishment not to use them . . . You can certainly use them for meringues. You'll just need to make a Swiss meringue, and you'll wind up with a better meringue because of it. Set a pot with a couple of inches of water on the stove to simmer. Your proportion of EW to sugar will be 1:2, say a cup (8 ounces) of EW to 16 ounces (2 1/3 cups) sugar. Measure them into a heatproof bowl and whisk them together. Set the bowl over the simmering water. Whisk until the mixture reaches 140 degrees, at which point the EW will be pasteurized. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a mixer. Beat at high speed with the whip until the bowl is cool to the touch. You'll have a killer meringue.
 
boulangere February 20, 2012
Over the years, I've gone through I can't count how many gallons of batched EWs. Couldn't work without them, and you are incredibly lucky to find them in small quantities, and organic at them. Buy them, use them, and know how much I envy you.
 
Julia C. February 20, 2012
No
 
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