How to Separate Eggs

on a flat surface or on the edge of a bowl, preferably in the center of the egg. If you crack it open on the edge of a bowl, it may be easier to crack the egg dead center, but you’re more likely to get chunks of shell into the egg white.

Working over a small bowl, use your thumbs to gently pry the egg halves apart. Allow the yolk to rest in the bottom half of the eggshell while the whites run down the sides of the egg into the bowl.

Allow as much egg white as possible to drip into the bowl below. Be careful not to break the yolk. Put the yolks in a separate bowl.

If you plan on beating the egg whites for a recipe, you can break the eggs into a smaller bowl one at a time, and then transfer the separated egg into larger bowls. That way, an egg yolk doesn’t break into all of the egg white you separated. The fat in the yolk (or other oil) interferes with the egg white’s ability to whip properly. Also for this reason you should also wash your hands carefully to remove natural body fats before working with egg whites.

If you get a piece of eggshell in the separated eggs, scoop it out with a larger piece of shell.

Note that refrigerated eggs are easier to separate (the yolks don’t break as easily), but most recipes call for working with room temperature eggs. So either let your eggs come to room temperature before separating them, in which case you’ll need to be a little more careful with the yolks, or let the eggs come to room temperature after separating them, in which case you should keep them in their bowl cover with plastic wrap and use them as soon as they reach room temperature.

Another way to separate eggs is to crack the egg in your upturned palm. Glide the egg whites through your fingertips.

This is quicker than the other method, but if you plan on beating the egg whites, the less contact the egg whites have with your hands and the natural oils on them, the better.