[cakerookie]

Is there some kind of chemical breakdown with egg whites and vanilla extract? I have found that if you add vanilla extract to egg whites before you whip them you can never bring them to a stiff peak. Am I missing something here? Any help greatly appreciated.

Regards Cakerookie

[Erik]

CR-

Only thing I can think of is if you leave alchohol (which is the main ingredient in vanilla extract) in eggs too long, it will start to cook them. I think we may need some of the 'big guns' to tackle this question.

[ExpatC]

It is all about molecules, albumen, surface tension, blah blah blah.

Essentially, the albumen of the egg white will not form a stable foam with the presence of too much non-protien liquid such as water and alcohol, which are the principle ingredients in Vanilla Extract. If you want the flavor ad a bit of extract AFTER the whites are beaten to the degree of stiffness you are looking for. Of course, on the other hand, a bit of liquid will produce a nice light foam but it is really unstable and won't last too long and if it does will ultimately weep out. It is the wonderful world of baking.

Sounds like you need to get your hands on Shirley Corhior (spelling way not right) or Harold McGee (spelling ok).

[momoreg]

If you pour vanilla into raw egg, you'll see, over the course of 10 minutes or so, the whites actually looking a bit cooked. That's the protein being broken down. This is BAD for whipping. Add your vanilla to the whites after they are whipped, or better yet, to the other ingredients being used.

[cakerookie]

Thanks, everyone.Had a feeling I should have done it after the whites were whipped but was following the recipe.Maybe I need to contact the place where I got the recipe and have them correct it...

[cakerookie]

UPDATE:
I e-mailed Chefs.com and they have corrected the recipe I was trying to make.