Aquafaba can come from any legume, not just chick peas, and the liquid from home-cooked beans should work equally well. The jury is still out on why it makes such a good replacement for egg whites; many suspect that the proteins and starches present in the liquid mimic those same components found in egg whites. Keep in mind that because aquafaba lacks the eggs’ coagulating capabilities, angel food cake, scrambled eggs or flourless cakes are all doomed to failure. Aquafaba freezes well, with three tablespoons replacing a single egg.
I first discovered aquafaba in a Joy of Kosher article by nutrition expert and executive pastry chef Alexandra Zohn which waxed eloquent about its benefits. I found myself instantly hooked, with the seeds for this article sprouting immediately.
“For us kosher keeping, chumus-loving Jews, aquafaba opens up an infinite amount of possibilities,” Zohn told Olam Yehudi. “It is a versatile pareve ingredient.”
The fact that aquafaba is essentially free makes it doubly intriguing.
“We are just at the beginning stages of understanding how to use aquafaba, and social media is the key,” noted Zohn. “Experimenting and sharing are turning the thick liquid that we all threw down the drain into one of the most fascinating ingredients in the years to come. Professional chefs, moms needing to overcome certain food restrictions, and curious foodies alike are all in awe and making daily discoveries.”
Of course, once you have discovered aquafaba, you may find yourself with a surplus of freshly drained chick peas. Fear not: they are great in soups, salads, chumus or chili as well as on their own and I toasted up a cookie sheet full of drained chick peas drizzled with olive oil and a generous amount of spices for 30 minutes, tossing them once or twice during their cooking time. The result? An addictively crunchy, protein-laden snack.
Come on. Go to your pantry, grab a can of chick peas and measure out a cup of aquafaba. Then fire up your mixer, add some sugar and start whipping away. While I can’t for the life of me explain the science behind all of this and why it works, I can tell you that it does, making aquafaba the yummiest experiment you have ever conducted.
Aquafaba Meringues
Courtesy of Alexandra Zohn, Joy Of Kosher
Ingredients
½ cup aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chickpeas)
¼ teaspoon white vinegar
1 pinch sea salt
10 tbsp sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 200°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place aquafaba, vinegar and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
Note: Be patient and make sure peaks are stiff, and don’t worry about overwhipping. (As opposed to egg whites, it seems impossible to overbeat aquafaba, but if you don’t whip enough, meringues will liquefy in the oven.)
Add sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, waiting 30 seconds in between each addition.
Once all sugar has been incorporated, add vanilla, if using, and whip for 1 more minute. Turn machine off and with a spatula, or an ice cream scoop, place meringue blobs onto prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 inch in between each.
Bake for 90 minutes, turn heat off and open oven door a bit (you can place a wooden spoon to keep the door slightly open) and let them cool completely.
Serve or store airtight for a few days.