Do I Need To Whisk The Egg Whites Over A Pan Of Hot Water For The Coconut Macaroons?

Our answer

Nigella's Coconut Macaroons (from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS) are chewy-centred coconut cookies. The recipe folds sweetened, shredded coconut into a meringue base made from egg whites whisked with sugar.

There are 3 basic meringue methods. French meringue, where the whites are whisked to peaks and then the sugar is whisked in a little at a time. Swiss meringue, where the egg whites and sugar are put in a bowl over heat and whisked gently until the sugar is dissolved then removed from the heat and whisked vigorously until they have more than doubled in volume and are cool. This meringue mixture is often used as a cake frosting. It is easiest to do this meringe with the bowl set over (but not in) a saucepan of simmering water as it prevents the mixture from getting too hot. If the mixture heats up too much then the whites will scramble. And Italian meringue, where a hot sugar syrup is poured into the egg whites as they are whisked. Swiss meringue and Italian meringue are more stable than French meringue and can stand for longer than a French meringue. However, as Nigella's Coconut Macaroons are baked almost immediately after mixing, the extra stability is not required and a regular French meringue mixture is fine.