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Always wash your hands before and after handling food--especially
eggs. They
come from chickens, although depending on who you talk to, it's the
other way
around. |
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You may have a daredevil streak in you, but never separate your egg
over
your other ingredients; any spill could ruin your batch. |
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Save the yolk in it's own bowl or container--it may be called for
later. |
| There are two ways to separate an egg. The first employs three bowls
and is
the more showy of the two. |
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After washing your hands, break the eggshell cleanly in half over a
small
bowl and drop it in. (The contents, not the shell.) |
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Pass the yolk gingerly from that small bowl to another letting the
white
drip over the sides of the bowls and into the third. If not done slowly
enough the white will not have a chance to drip out and then, let's
face it,
this becomes drastically less effective. |
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Once the white and yolk are completely separated, consult your
recipe for
their use, wash your hands again (it couldn't hurt), and bon apetit!
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The second way to separate and egg is by using your hands. If you think
clean
hands were important before, we can't stress how necessary it is here.
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Crack the egg along the center without completely splitting it open.
This
is a little tricky and may require a practice egg but that's why they
sell
them by the dozen, right? |
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Hold the egg upright over an empty bowl and pry off the top. The
yolk will
fall into the bottom of the shell, and most of the egg white will spill
over
into the bowl. |
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Gingerly pour the rest of the egg into your outstretched hand. This
is
where you will appreciate that extra hand washing. |
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Slowly, gently, relax your fingers and let the white slip through
them
into the bowl below. Resist the urge to toss the yolk from hand to
hand. It
doesn't feel as good as you think it will and will probably end badly. |
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After a moment, hopefully all that's left in your hand is the yolk.
If
there are other things in your hand, such as chunks, you may want to
think
about buying your eggs at a different grocery store. Once the white and
yolk
are completely separated, you are of course going to want to wash your
hands
yet again. |
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| Eggs separate more easily if they're room temperature. Set them out for
a bit before you plan to separate them. |
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Leslie Tamppari
Pasadena, CA |
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If you're a real pro, and have practiced, you can separate eggs between
the two halves of the shells, instead of using small bowls. Be careful
though; the sharp edges of the shell can puncture the yolk. This method
works best if you're only separating one or two eggs into their own
bowls. |
Roy Antoun
Altadena, CA |
Have a tip? E-mail it to us! |
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