Substituting Lemon Juice With White Vinegar

Asked by julia1. Answered on 26th September 2016

Full question

Hi. I was planning on making Nigella's Lemon Pavlova but wanted to make a 'plain' version of this. Is is possible to substitute the lemon juice for white vinegar? If so, would it be the same quantity? Thanks!

Our answer

Nigella's Lemon Pavlova from SIMPLY NIGELLA gets most of its lemony lusciousness from the lemon curd that is spread thickly over the meringue. The meringue is flavoured slightly with lemon zest and some lemon juice is added. The lemon juice does not really add flavour to the meringue, it is mainly used as its acidity helps to stabilise the whisked egg whites in the meringue mixture. So you could use lemon juice and still have a "plain" meringue.

It is also possible to use another mildly-flavoured acid, such as white wine vinegar, (apple) cider vinegar or cream of tartar. The amount you would use would be the same regardless of which alternative you use. So for the Lemon Pavlova you would use 2 teaspoons.