If you are going to try making macarons or lemon meringue pie,  you’d better be able to master the art of whipping egg whites.  Once you understand what not to do and what to look for, it’s easy!

3 must-have tips before you even think about whipping egg whites!

1. If your mixing bowl has any oil or butter in it, your egg whites will not whip no matter how hard you try, so make sure your mixing bowl is clean!
2. If any yolk at all gets in with your egg whites they will not whip, so be careful!
3. Room temperature egg whites beat fluffier! To get eggs to room temperature leave out for an hour or place in warm water for about 5 minutes.

The Peaks:

1. No peaks: After a little whipping, the egg whites will begin to get foamy and opaque; however, it will be too liquid to hold any shape.
2. Soft peak: The peak is starting to hold but will collapse after a second
3. Firm peak: The peak will fold over but still hold its shape
4. Stiff peak: The peak will stand straight up without collapsing

Firm peak

Stiff Peak

Full out meringue