Meringue Flattening Out

The larger mass of the 30-quart bowl may be enough that the meringue isn’t heated sufficiently.  In other words, a significant quantity of the heat in the syrup goes to warming the bowl instead of to warming the meringue. 

One way to check would be to measure the temperature of a finished batch of meringue from each mixer.  If the small batch is warmer, that would confirm this guess.  

Another guess is that it takes longer to pour the larger quantity of syrup into the mixer than it does the smaller quantity, which would allow the syrup to cool a few degrees before it is mixed in.  

A final guess is that the larger mixer simply isn’t as effective at beating air into the meringue.  

Paul

Maybe you’re losing too much heat. Preheat the bowl with a hand torch (those with a small gas cassette, but I’m sure you know what I’m talking about) before mixing, or heat with said torch as needed while mixing the meringue. Again, Paul was spot-on in saying that a temperature take right after the batch is mixed would help you steer things in the right direction.

Needless to say, we both assume that you’re preparing the syrup to the right temperature and you’re measuring said temperature every time before mixing.

Try using a few grams of cream of tartar for a 5 quart batch, and scale this up for your larger batch.  

Also, I like to whip the egg whites to fairly firm peaks, before adding the hot sugar.  

What temperature is the meringue when it falls after 2 hours?  Weather is warming now in Europe, Asia and North America.  This can and does create problems for bakers including bread and pastry. 

I have made (Italian) meringue many times, and the recipe and method I use works reliably. 

The size of your batch may require different techniques.  The bowl will take alot of heat out of the ingredients.  

I would whip the whites to very firm peaks before adding the sugar.  Be sure the sugar is at the right temperature, and be sure to whip the whites until completely cool, after the cooked sugar is added.  And use lemon juice or cream of tartar.  Meringue is not difficult, there is something happening in your method. 

What is the temperature of your kitchen?  Also measure the temperature of the finished meringue.  Meringue can be frozen before use.  It doesn't freeze due to the sugar, it simply gets cold and firm, but not hard. 

Hello MSR Bienenstich, 

I think 1500m elevation is a factor.  What temperature are you cooking the sugar?  I cook sugar to 121C / 250F.  At higher elevation the sugar should be cooked to approx 115C, but check it for yourself. 

Can you post your recipe? 

What type of egg whites are you using?   

if you're taking a small recipe, typically in cups, and multiplying it for a big batch its very likely to veer way out of balance.  Better to start with a larger commercial recipe and divide down if its too big.

its done in 60 qt machines all the time with no problem , if anything it helps rather than hinders.

1 qt whites

3 lb gran sugar

pint glucose or corn syrup.

follow your usual method.

but my two cents is that the temptation to add the hot syrup too fast increases as the batch size increases resulting in some of the protein being cooked and then not having the strength to hold the air.  I usually add the first half of the hot syrup carefully in a fine stream, by that point the mass has been tempered and seems to be able to accept the rest of the syrup faster. If the syrup is added too fast you can actually feel long strands of cooked protein when scooping it with a spatula.