You can whip egg whites by hand using a hand whisk.
Using a hand whisk to whip egg whites takes some work and takes a bit longer than using an electric hand or stand mixer.
But if you have a hand whisk you can whisk or whip the egg whites by hand.
You can beat eggs with a blender but it's not recommended to do so.
When beating eggs it's best to use a hand mixer or hand whisk or forks to beat the eggs with.
But if you do beat the eggs with a blender make sure to use the slowest setting on the blender so it does not beat them the eggs too fast.
Using a blender to beat eggs can break the eggs protein strands up and not incorporate the air.
A countertop blender can be used to make Meringue with.
If you do use a countertop blender to make Meringue you want to use the slow setting on the blender so it does not blend or mix it too fast.
When making Meringue it's best to blend it with a hand mixer or hand whisk but a countertop blender can work to make Meringue when done right.
You can make stiff peaks with a blender.
To make stiff peaks with a blender you put the blender setting on gentle speed and slow blend it until it's at stiff peaks.
However for best results it's best to beat to stiff peaks by hand mixing it but the electric blender will work to beat to stiff peaks as long as you don't blend it too long.
When making meringue and beating it to stiff beaks it takes around 5 minutes to beat the meringue to stiff peaks.
It can take awhile for the sugar to dissolve and for the meringue to reach stiff peaks.
But it should only take around 5 minutes of beating the meringue before it reaches stiff peaks.
If the sugar in the meringue has not dissolved fully then you still need to beat it some more until the sugar dissolves and so that it doesn't taste gritty.
Once the sugar has dissolved and it doesn't taste gritty anymore then you've beaten it to stiff peaks and it's ready.
But usually 5 minutes is enough to beat to stiff peaks which has been my experience.