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Macaron Meringue Methods: The Key Differences

Debbie Paton

Updated: May 28, 2023


Macarons have three different methods in making the meringue.


The French Method

The Italian Method

The Swiss Method (least common but my preferred method)


They all use the same basic ingredients: egg whites and sugar and are differentiated by the extent to which the egg white is heated and the meringue’s resulting stability.


So, lets break them down in turn.



Macaron Meringue Methods: The French Method (easy, well sort of)

The French meringue method is the most basic meringue method used. It results in the correct texture and taste for the French macaron. The French meringue is simply whisking egg whites and fine sugar together to create something light and fluffy. Those who live in humid and hot climates find it helpful to add cream of tartar to help stabilise the egg whites and prevent them from breaking down. It is also recommended to use fresh egg whites that have been aged in the fridge for two to four days (place in a bowl covered in cling film and poke holes in the top). This allows some of the moisture to evaporate from the egg whites and causes the tight proteins in the egg whites to relax. Relaxed proteins help your meringue to be stronger and less prone to overwhipping and cracking.


French macrons tend to be lighter and fluffy with a soft, chewy shell and more subtle sweet taste. They are typically flatter with a larger, ruffled texture at the foot of each shell.


Method:

Place the egg whites in a grease free stainless steel bowl and start mixing slowly (I used a handheld mixer below). After a minute, gradually add the sugar, slowly. Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to medium high until the meringue reach stiff peaks. The meringue will be soft, light and airy and it stands to attention when the whip is lifted away from the bowl.


Images of the different stages of the French meringue

Pros:

  • Easier to master and quicker to make.

  • Hand mixer can be used.

  • All ingredients are at room temperature.

  • Simplest form of all the meringue techniques.

  • You can take a little more time – ingredients do not have to be mixed straight away.


Cons:

  • Age egg whites for 2 to four days (I don’t bother with this as it is a waste of time, in my opinion).

  • Unstable meringue making macaronage tricky (one to two many strokes may give misshapen macarons).

  • More delicate meringue.

  • Easier to become deflated or have cracked shells, uneven feet, browned or discoloured tops.


Macaron Meringue Method: The Italian Method (difficult)

The Italian meringue method is a bit more complicated than the French. They key difference between the French and Italian is in the initial stages of preparing the meringue. Italian meringue is a hot sugar syrup incorporated into freshly whipped egg whites. The heat from the sugar partially cooks the egg whites as the meringue is being formed, helping its stability and increases the viscosity. Italian meringue produces a rounded top, softer and chewy inside with a smoother and crisper macaron. However, they do taste a bit sweeter and have less almond flavour.


The Italian method is the most common method amongst professional macaron bakers as it is more reliable than the French producing the most consistent and stable macarons with less fails.


Method:

To create the Italian meringue, in a saucepan dissolve the sugar in the water over a medium heat. Stir the sugar until it has dissolved then bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a medium and continue cooking without stirring. Once the syrup reaches 95°c, begin to whip your egg whites, add a drop of lemon juice to help stabilise the meringue and whip until soft peaks. Stop the mixer once the egg whites are whipped to the proper consistency. If the sugar is not ready, continue running the mixer on a low speed. Once the syrup reaches 120°c, remove from the heat straight away and with the mixer running at the medium speed, slowly pour in the syrup between the bowl and the whisk. Increase the speed to high and whisk until glossy and medium peaks form and the meringue has cooled down.


Note: You need to be careful using this method as pouring the syrup into the whipping egg whites too fast will cook the eggs and ruin the meringue.


Images of the different stages of Italian meringue failure

Pros:

  • Very stable meringue.

  • Fewer air bubbles.

  • Produces good feet.


Cons:

  • Difficult to make, particularly getting the timing absolutely correct with the boiling of the sugar and the whipped egg whites

  • Requires a candy thermometer.

  • Need to have a stand mixer for this method.

  • Handle hot sugar syrup.

  • Takes longer than the other methods.

  • Tastes sweeter, less almond flavour.


Macaron Meringue Method: The Swiss Method (intermediate)

The third method, the Swiss method is the least common, but is my favourite way of making my macarons especially when I am in a hurry and need to bake a few macarons. I know this method inside and out. This method may benefit bakers who cannot master the technique of the Italian meringue (like me, I have struggled). Along with the Italian, Swiss meringue method produces a stable structure where I have less mishaps. Swiss meringue is lighter, smoother and silker than the French meringue.


Now, here comes the sciencey stuff. With the addition of heat when whisking the egg whites and sugar together, helps the proteins unfold more easily during the denaturation process. Denaturation happens when the whipping of the meringue starts, meaning the curled proteins are unravelling to organise themselves into the meringue structure. The melted sugar increases the viscosity of the syrup coating the air and water particles that constitute the meringue, making a strong layer of protection which helps avoid over whipping, broken and deflated meringue.


Swiss meringue macarons rise is somewhere in between the French and Italian but has smaller, dainty feet.


Method:

The sugar and eggs are whisked together (along with any powdered food colouring) and gently heated over a double boiler (au-bain marie) until completely dissolved. The mixture needs to be constantly stirred so the egg whites do not cook. After there are no granules in the syrup (test it by rubbing some of the syrup between your fingers) it is removed from the heat, transferred over to a stand mixer and then whipped on a low setting for 30 seconds, then whipped on medium-high until stiff peaks are formed.


Swiss meringue method of making macarons, the three different stages

Pros:

  • Stable meringue yielding a studier, more forgiving batter.

  • This method requires less baking time.

  • Fewer fails, misshapen shells

  • Also produces good feet.


Cons:

  • Need heat the sugar and egg whites together.

  • Need a stand mixer.

  • No as smooth as Italian method (but it is really down to sifting the dry ingredients well).


Summary

So, what is the best meringue recipe you may ask? In my opinion, for me, it is the Swiss meringue method. I know this method very well and it gives me the results I love: well risen shells, perfectly formed shell, dainty feet, crispy shells and soft inside.


There is no right or wrong way. Just go with the one you feel most comfortable with - what works for you and gives you the results you are looking for in a macaron. Whatever the method you use, just remember, your environment can have a deciding impact. Meringues are quite sensitive to the weather. In humid climates, excess water can seep into the meringue and make it soft, therefore the Swiss or Italian method is recommended.


One key thing to take away with all the methods is to whip the meringue to the right consistency and has strong peaks before adding the dry ingredients. I usually whip at a slow speed up to medium high which takes around 10 minutes (depending on your stand mixer). Under whipped meringue may result in wrinkled, cracked, soft shells or protruding feet as there is less resistance to the expansion of the batter sideways at the base of the shells during baking. Over whipped meringue become visible when it begins to separate into chunks. It produces large air bubbles and ruffled feet as well as soft shells when baked.


The perfect meringue is compact, firm and stable and has smaller air bubbles. It also bakes faster and comes off silicon mat easier, have smooth tops and shells have straight feet.


No matter which method you use and no matter how your shells look, your macarons will be delicious which everyone will enjoy.



French, Italian and Swiss meringue macarons

Above are my recent attempts at the different meringue methods. As you can see my Swiss meringue macaron looks great. French meringue looks also fine, but my Italian, needs a bit more work. The feet are bit too ruffled they should be smooth like the Swiss meringue.


Making macarons can be tricky which requires some practice. I tried so many times with a few too many fails I dare to remember. The macaron is the world’s most temperamental cookies and even professional chefs struggle to get it right.




Just remember to source your handmade, gluten-free Swiss macarons from Macarons by Kiwi Debs for the best quality and taste.


















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1 Comment


Robin Allen
Jan 21

Hi Debbie, I just found this article. thank you for this comprehensize breakdown. Does the amount of ingredients change with each method? I ask because I've been using the swiss method since learning macaron baking this past year. I've see different basic recipes using more amounts of powdered sugar/almond flour with the french than what I've had sucess with using the recipe for the Swiss. My basic swiss recipe has the 4 basic ingredients about the same, with the dry a few grams more than the whites and sugar.

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