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The difference between folding one mixture into another and merely stirring two mixtures together is like the difference between adding delicate brush strokes to a work of art and painting your bathroom walls-it's all in the technique and, to borrow a phrase, all in the wrists.

Folding is a technique generally applied when incorporating a lighter mixture (such as beaten egg whites or whipped cream) into a heavier batter. The purpose of adding the lighter mixture is to soften the density, and often raise the physical height, of the final product.

After spending several minutes carefully beating egg whites or whipping cream, simply dumping the mixture into your batter and beating it about with a wooden spoon will cause all those precious air bubbles you spent several minutes creating to collapse in on one another. In short, you will completely negate the effects of the whipping.

Therefore, care must be taken to protect those fragile air bubbles. The beaten whites or cream should be added to the batter in thirds. You needn't be quite as careful incorporating the first third of the mixture; this step is designed to lighten the overall batter slightly. So in Step One, just add one-third of the beaten mixture into the batter and stir gently.

With the remaining thirds, however, begin using the "folding" method to combine the two mixtures. After completing Step One above, add half of the remaining mixture to the batter and incorporate it by stirring gently from the bottom of the bowl to the top, gently turning the bowl approximately one-half turn as you go. Continue in this fashion until the two mixtures appear nearly thoroughly combined. Then, add the remaining beaten whites or cream using this same folding method. Do not be concerned if SMALL globules of unincorporated cream or egg whites can be seen in the mixture. These will not damage the overall product. Larger globules, of course, are more of a problem and you should continue to gently fold until those are no longer visible.

Care should be taken when transferring the final mixture from the bowl into the baking vessel, as those bubbles are still vulnerable, so use a light hand in scraping the mixture from your bowl.

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