The secret to baking perfect meringues.

Cooked meringue is a favorite the entire world over. Whether its a soft topping to a lemon meringue pie, or a crispier variation found in a pavlova the meringue is a sure fire hit whether you are throwing a children's birthday party or a high class shindig.

The basic meringue is made by whisking egg whites and adding icing or caster sugar. How the sugar is added, and at what temperature the meringue is baked decides the type of meringue produced.

vital for all meringues.

Make sure the mixing bowl and beaters are clean and have no grease, butter or egg yolk on them as this will prevent the egg whites from whisking thoroughly.

Whisking egg whites by hand is a tedious task. Ideally you will use a stand mixer with a whisking wire accessory. My weapon of choice is my trusty Kitchenaid KSM150, however, if you do not have access to a stand mixer, then a hand held electric mixer will do just as well.

Choose a large bowl, as the egg whites when whisked will expand significantly. Once whisked to perfection, the egg whites will peak and remain in place in the bowl.

A favorite party trick of most chefs is to prove their whisking ability by holding the upturned bowl above their head, which if they have done the job properly means the egg white remains in the bowl.

For the perfect meringue you will need:

4 large egg whites

250g (8 oz) icing sugar

½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Sift the icing sugar to eliminate any lumps using a fine sieve.

Set aside, along with the vanilla extract. If you can get vanilla extract this is preferable as it is natural and the real deal, otherwise vanilla essence will do.

Place the egg whites and sugar in your bowl and whisk slowly until the egg whites and sugar blend. Slowly increase the whisking speed until the mixture is glossy and will form stiff peaks which may take five to eight minutes.

Add the vanilla extract & whisk it in until it's fully blended thoroughly.

Spoon or pipe the meringue mixture onto a baking tray lined in greaseproof baking paper and bake in a low oven at around 130C (270F).

For small meringue shapes this will take around 45 minutes. For large baskets, this could take as long as 2 hours.

To make soft meringue topping for lemon meringue pies for instance, increase the oven temperature to 180C (360F) which will result in soft moist meringue with a golden brown outer layer.