How to beat eggs with a hand mixer

Beating whole eggs to the ribbon stage

Many cake recipes — sponges especially — have you beat whole eggs (usually with sugar) until they're pale, thick and greatly increased in volume. This is the ribbon stage, and it's where a hand mixer shines. Crack the eggs into a bowl with the sugar, start on a low speed to break them up, then increase to medium-high and beat for several minutes. The mixture will lighten from yellow to pale, thicken dramatically, and roughly triple in volume. You know it's ready when it's pale and thick enough that lifting the beaters and drizzling the mixture leaves a "ribbon" that sits on the surface for a few seconds before sinking. That trapped air is what leavens the cake, so this stage isn't optional in a sponge — give it the full time. Warming the eggs slightly (a bowl over warm water) helps them whip to greater volume, which is the classic genoise trick.

Beating egg whites to peaks

Whipping whites into a foam is the most technique-sensitive of the three, and the most rewarding. A couple of setup rules make or break it. First, the bowl and beaters must be spotlessly clean and grease-free— even a trace of fat or a speck of yolk will stop the whites whipping up properly, so separate the eggs carefully and use a metal or glass bowl rather than plastic, which holds grease. Second, whites whip better at room temperature than cold. With that done, the method is a build-up:

Start low to break the whites into a loose foam, then increase gradually to medium-high. As they whip, they pass through recognizable stages: foamy (loose bubbles), soft peaks (the whites hold a peak that flops over at the tip), stiff peaks (the peak stands straight up and the whites are glossy), and finally over-beaten(dry, dull, clumpy and starting to weep liquid). Stop at soft peaks for folding into some batters, stiff peaks for meringue and most airy cakes, and never go past stiff, glossy peaks. If sugar is going in — for meringue — add it gradually once you reach soft peaks, a spoonful at a time, and keep whipping to stiff, glossy peaks. Our full guide to making meringue with a hand mixer covers this in more detail.

Beating yolks with sugar

Many custards, mousses, curds and rich batters start by beating egg yolks with sugar until they're pale yellow and thick — the French call it "blanchir," to whiten. Put the yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat on mediumuntil the mixture lightens in color and falls in a thick ribbon, much like whole eggs but denser and richer. One important detail: don't let yolks and sugar sit together un-beatenfor long, because the sugar can "burn" the yolks and leave hard little lumps — combine them and start beating promptly. This pale, thick yolk base is the foundation of a lot of desserts, and a hand mixer gets it there in a minute or two of steady beating.

Which beaters to use

For whole eggs and yolks, the standard twin beaters that come with the mixer are fine. For whipping egg whites and building the most volume, a whisk (balloon-beater) attachment, if your mixer has one, incorporates air faster and more efficiently, thanks to its many thin wires — it's the same principle as a stand mixer's wire whip. If your mixer only has standard beaters, they'll still whip whites perfectly well; a whisk attachment just does it a little quicker. Our overview of hand mixer attachments explains which beater suits which job.

The common mistakes

A few errors account for most egg-beating disappointments. Over-beating whitesis the big one: taken past stiff, glossy peaks they turn dry and clumpy and fold badly, deflating a batter, so slow down and watch closely near the end — it's far easier to whip a little more than to rescue over-beaten whites, which usually means starting over. Grease or yolk in the whites is the other classic: it stops them whipping at all, so keep everything clean and separate the eggs carefully. Not beating whole eggs long enoughat the ribbon stage leaves a sponge dense, because you haven't built the air. And splashingat the start is just a matter of beginning on a low speed and only then climbing — the same rule that governs almost everything a hand mixer does. Get those right and beating eggs, in all three of its meanings, is quick and reliable.