When making cooked frostings, a good way to tell if a recipe will work is to look for a stabilizer. These ingredients keep the frosting smooth and prevent premature hardening. They include lemon juice, vinegar, cream of tartar or light corn syrup.

As you beat your cooked frosting while adding the syrup, the volume will increase. When the syrup is completely added, sprinkle in a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar, a pinch of cream of tartar, or a teaspoon of light corn syrup. These stabilizers will keep the icing from becoming gritty as it cools.

Seven Minute Icing will probably take longer than seven minutes to form. Using a hand mixer to beat the frosting will speed up the process.