"BMC" > wrote in message
...
> What does overbeating egg whites look like? Today, I used an electric
hand
> mixer to beat 3 egg whites and it came out "heavy" and creamy instead of
> fluffy with peaks. What did I do wrong? The result resembled almost like
> heavy cream.


Sounds like under-beating to me. You may have stopped too soon or there may
have been some contamination that prevented them from whipping. Even a
small amount of oil or a speck of yolk can inhibit foam formation. You
should always make sure your equipment is sparkling clean and never use
plastic. Warm eggs foam better than cold eggs. A little acid will help
stabilize the proteins so you can add some cream of tartar or wipe the bowl
with some vinegar. Beating in a copper bowl also helps, but most of us
don't have a special bowl for beating eggs. If you added sugar, you could
have added it too soon or too fast.

Properly beaten egg whites should be glossy. When you withdraw the beater
or whisk and turn it upside down, there should be a peak. A soft peak will
curl over and a stiff peak will remain upright. When over-beaten, the
whites will become dull and the volume will start to decrease. The foam
will lose its stability. When in doubt, under-beating.