Meringue

[lucasd405]

Hello,
my name is Luke and i am currently conducting a research project to maths within food
what i am asking is this has anybody found a difference between when meringues are piped into spirals and they are not?

many thanks!?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

If trying to research meringues with mathematics, I would use calculous to detrmine the surface area and volume of the shaped substance to determine heat penatration per unit tme, and what temperatures are required to set the shape. Also, you might want to include fractals to explain meringue structure. What you are researching touches the fields of both chemistry and physics. I hope you are very, very good with math. To explore meringues in depth could take some serious thought. Or, you could simply make soft, and stiff meringues piped it into different shapes ans sizes, and bake them at different temperatures, recording your results.

You can make this as easy, or so technical that you would almost need post-graduate training to accomplish the research. Good luck.

Seeeeya, Chief Longwind of the North

 

[lucasd405]

thank you for your reply

the prodject is for my undergrad dissertation the purpose of the project is to look at how shapes are used and how they benefit some aspect of the cooking experience

 

[GotGarlic]

You might think about choosing a more common food than meringue. I've never made one and from being part of this forum for many years, the topic rarely comes up. It's unlikely that you'll obtain a reasonable number of responses from which to draw conclusions.

 

[HeyItsSara]

I like to just whip the egg whites and spoon them onto the baking sheet. my daughter prefers to spiral them. they look different but don't taste or bake differently

 

[RCJoe]

You may want to inquire here to see if you can find the more specialized assistance you seek. Your question is probably above the pay grade of most culinary people. Those who work in industrial food preparations laboratories may
be the people you need to speak with.

You could start by contacting this source:

American Journal of Food Science and Technology

American Journal of Food Science and Technology

 

[dragnlaw]

I agree with GG and RCJoe. The variables are tremendous and you would have to narrow it down to be more specific.

The weight of each mound. The diameter, height - and positioning within the ovens.

Your test would have to consider that all the meringues from each test are taken from eggs the same age. Eggs from the same batch (or hen). The days on which they are baked (humidity). Volume and weight of the whites, before and after.

LOL - I guess the list could go on and on.

Chief Longwinds suggestion is also very valid- Or, you could simply make soft, and stiff meringues piped it into different shapes ans sizes, and bake them at different temperatures, recording your results.
Although I doubt good enough for your dissertation (never having had to write one, I have no idea what is involved, but a lot of researc)

Lucas, thank you for thinking of us. I wish you the best and please let us know how it went.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I believe a valid mathematical approach would to make 2 or 3 meringues of different stiffness, on the same day, from a single carton of eggs so that they are all the same age (this affects the whites). Pipe, or spoon the meringues into different sized mounds, an bake them all at the same time, on a parchment lined cookie sheet, at a temperature and baking duration of your choice. Then record the results of how done each of them are, graphing the results by time, thickness, and using temperature as a control. Then pipe equal amounts of meringue into different shapes, and bake again, using the same graphing criteria. You should then be able to determine empirical data that would allow you to create a mathematical model to predict the effect of the variables on the desired end product.

Using the graphs to create a model eliminates many of the variable concerns, and gives you fact-based data to build your mathematical model.

And now you know why my children always did well in Science Fairs. Being an Engineer helps develop critical thinking skills. I hope this helps.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind fo the North