Egg, bowl, and whisk

Just about any egg, bowl, and whisk can provide a good foam. Here are some tips to consider:

• Older eggs at room temperature have thinner whites and foam more quickly, but by the same token a thin egg white is more likely to drain and older yolks rupture more quickly, often leaving traces of yolk in the white.
• Fresh eggs take longer to beat but make a more stable foam.
• Cold yolks are easier to separate from whites. The whipping process warms the whites anyway.
• Egg foams can also be whipped from dried egg whites.
• Use a bowl large enough to accomodate an eightfold expansion of volume.
• If beating by hand, a large "balloon whisk" aerates a greater volume of whites at a time.
• When using a mixer, choose a beater that both spins and traces a curlicue path for a more even foam. Other mixers and beaters work, but less efficient beaters produce a denser texture.