Another cooking myth destroyed--and WAFFLES!

My whole life I've been warned: if you have even a speck of fat anywhere near your bowl when you whip egg whites, they won't whip. Some people even go so far as to wipe out their bowls with lemon juice or vinegar in order to make sure there isn't even a smidgen of fat there to deflate the whites. I had heard whispers (from the chefs at America's Test Kitchen, and others) that this is a myth.

Last night, I put the myth to the test. I was whipping egg whites to fold into waffle batter (mmmm, waffles) and broke a yolk. A very distinct dot of yolk was in my pristine whites. Well, I was running behind on dinner and the recipe is pretty forgiving, since I'd still get waffles even if the eggs didn't whip properly, so I got out my whisk and went to town. Even with the yolk, the whites whipped up just as nicely as can be.

So if you get a speck of yolk in your whites, don't throw out the whole batch. Take a chance! In fact, take a chance on these wonderful yeast-risen waffles. They are fabulous. Here's the recipe, courtesy of Joy of Cooking:

Whisk together:

• 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm (105 to 115 degree F) milk

Let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about five minutes.

Whisk together in a very large bowl:

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup lukewarm milk
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm

Whisk in the yeast mixture along with:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Add the flour in three parts alternating with the milk in 2 parts:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 1/2 cups warm (105 to 115 degree F) milk

Beat until soft peaks form then fold into the batter:

• 3 large egg whites

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat your waffle iron. Stir gently to deflate the batter.
Spread the batter evenly across the iron, to within 1/4" of the edge of the grids, using the back of a metal spatula, wooden spoon or ladle. Close the lid and bake until the waffle is golden brown. Serve immediately or keep warm in a single layer on a rack in a 200 degree F oven while you finish cooking the rest (if your family can wait that long. Mine can't).