Quick Tip: How to Separate Eggs

I learned how to separate eggs from my Mom. Many people have different ways of performing this tedious, sometimes difficult, but necessary task. The housewares tool creators even have a tool for making this a little easier.

If you're like me, though, you're a fan of the old fashioned "bowl and a pair of hands" approach. Crack your egg on the side of a bowl so that you separate the shell in two equal sized pieces. Closely pass the yolk back and forth between the sides, allowing the egg whites to fall into the bowl below. Once you only have egg yolk left in your shell sides, you're done. You can toss your egg yolks or keep them to use in another recipe.


As easy as the description above sounds, it can be a bit challenging. Here are a couple tips to make your job a little easier.

1.) Use two bowls.

If your recipe requires several egg whites, one mistake could cost you an entire bowl of egg whites. By separating each egg white into a small bowl and then adding it to a larger bowl (where you're collecting all of your whites) you ensure that one badly separated egg will not affect all of your eggs.


2.) Use a serving spoon with draining holes.


Many people have several types of serving spoons in their silverware drawers. One example is a serving spoon with spaces in the body to allow for drainage of liquids associated with several dishes. If you break and egg into a bowl, yolk and white, and then carefully scoop out the yolk, allowing the egg white to drip through the drain holes (making sure not to break the yolk), you will accomplish your separation easily.

I suggest going with #1 and using #2 as an aid if your yolk escapes into the egg whites bowl.