How to Separate the Egg Yolk from the White

Published on Thursday, March 5, 2009, by CHOW Video Team / Edit Post

How to Separate the Egg Yolk from the White

Using the egg shell to separate yolk from white, you risk breaking the yolk against sharp shell bits. According to CHOW Senior Editor Lessley Anderson, using your fingers is a gentler, less risky proposition.

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  • The hand technique does indeed work, as does the shell method, if you are careful. However, the best method I have found, which also works with multiple eggs at the same time, is to crack the eggs into a funnel whose spout is too small to allow the yolks to pass. Let the eggs sit in the funnel over a container to catch the whites for a bit, and the yolks will be left in the funnel, and the whites...+READ

    The hand technique does indeed work, as does the shell method, if you are careful. However, the best method I have found, which also works with multiple eggs at the same time, is to crack the eggs into a funnel whose spout is too small to allow the yolks to pass. Let the eggs sit in the funnel over a container to catch the whites for a bit, and the yolks will be left in the funnel, and the whites will be in the container.-COLLAPSE

  • I concur...the hand technique seems to be the best way.

  • I've always used the hands method, and haven't even tried the shell method, which seemed silly to me. The hands technique is quick and effective.

  • I was taught to use the shells by my mother many years ago and it generally works fine. If I am doing a lot of eggs I would use separate containers to hold whites, yolks and the white for the current egg - so that if I do make a mistake its limited to one egg. I think one reason we home cooks like this method is that its egg by egg and you can thrifily scrape out any remaining white from the...+READ

    I was taught to use the shells by my mother many years ago and it generally works fine. If I am doing a lot of eggs I would use separate containers to hold whites, yolks and the white for the current egg - so that if I do make a mistake its limited to one egg. I think one reason we home cooks like this method is that its egg by egg and you can thrifily scrape out any remaining white from the shells. A pro breaking multiple eggs at a time and using hands to strain would never bother to do this.-COLLAPSE

  • c oliver, I agree. I have never had a problem breaking the yolk with the edge of the shell. I have used the other method (had to a cooking school...chef instructors hate it when you use 'housewife' methods of doing things), but always go back to using the shells. Faster and cleaner for me.

  • I've been separating eggs the old-fashioned way for decades and have never had the problem described.