A uniform crisp texture may be achieved at home by baking at a low temperature (80–90 °C or 176–194 °F) for an extended period of up to two hours.

[5] Slowly baked meringues are still referred to as "pets" in the Loire region of France due to their light and fluffy texture.

Protein distribution in egg whites is as follows: (54%) ovalbumin, (13%) conalbumin/ ovotransferrin, (11%) ovomucoid, (4%) ovoglobulins, (3.5%) lysozyme, and (2%) ovomucin.

When these egg white proteins denature (due to agitation from beating), their hydrophobic regions are exposed and the formation of intermolecular protein-protein interactions is promoted.

[citation needed] Wiping the bowl with a wedge of lemon to remove any traces of grease can often help the process.

[9] This quality also explains the problem called "weeping" or "sweating", in which beads of moisture form on all surfaces of the meringue.

[9] Sweating is a particular problem for French meringues in which the granulated sugar is inadequately dissolved in the egg whites, and for high-moisture pie fillings.

There are three main ingredients in a meringue recipe that interact to form the foam structure: egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar or acid.

The friction from beating the eggs adds heat to the process, which causes the proteins to increase in elasticity.

[10] Cream of tartar, also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, KC4H5O6, is added to the egg whites before the denaturation process.

Cream of tartar has a low pH to help bring the proteins near their isoelectric point to allow them to be denatured easier.

Cream of tartar inverts the sugar during the baking process, meaning the molecule is split into two parts containing glucose and fructose.

If it is added all at once, it will not be evenly distributed, causing the protein network to collapse due to the weight of the sugar in one area of the meringue.

Meringue can be used as the basis for various desserts, including baked Alaska, bruttiboni, dacquoise, Esterházy torte, Eton mess, floating island, key lime pie, Kyiv cake, lemon meringue pie, macarons, merveilleux, pavlova, Queen of Puddings, sans rival, silvana, Spanische Windtorte, turrón, and Zuger Kirschtorte.

Variations include assorted fruits such as raspberries, peaches, mangoes, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, papayas, honeydew, oranges, and cantaloupe.

It can be formed into whimsical shapes, such as mushrooms, or piped into a crisp basket that is baked and filled with cake, fruit, or flowers.

[19] The principal nutritional components are protein from the egg whites and simple carbohydrates from the refined sugar.