How to Separate an Egg (Daily Dish)
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How to Separate an Egg (Daily Dish)
| Thu, 03-31-2005 - 6:18am |
How to Separate an Egg
This Daily Dish is part of a series on kitchen basics.
If you hope to make egg-white omelets or a meringue topping, you won't get far unless you know how to separate an egg white from an egg yolk. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to master this important skill.
1. Choose the freshest eggs possible — they separate more easily than old eggs.
2. Take one egg and lightly crack it at its midpoint on the edge of a bowl. (Glass, ceramic, or steel work best for this task — a plastic bowl won't crack the egg as well.)
3. Place your thumbs on either side of the crack and carefully open the shell into two halves. Make sure the egg stays in one half.
4. Over the bowl, gently pour the egg back and forth between the two shell halves, allowing the egg white to fall into the bowl while keeping the yolk in the shell. Be careful not to pierce the yolk on the rough edge of the shell, as this will cause the yolk to mix with the white. A little yolk in your whites is not a problem when making an omelet, but if you plan to whip the whites, any amount of yolk mixed in will prevent proper whipping.
This Daily Dish is part of a series on kitchen basics.
If you hope to make egg-white omelets or a meringue topping, you won't get far unless you know how to separate an egg white from an egg yolk. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to master this important skill.
1. Choose the freshest eggs possible — they separate more easily than old eggs.
2. Take one egg and lightly crack it at its midpoint on the edge of a bowl. (Glass, ceramic, or steel work best for this task — a plastic bowl won't crack the egg as well.)
3. Place your thumbs on either side of the crack and carefully open the shell into two halves. Make sure the egg stays in one half.
4. Over the bowl, gently pour the egg back and forth between the two shell halves, allowing the egg white to fall into the bowl while keeping the yolk in the shell. Be careful not to pierce the yolk on the rough edge of the shell, as this will cause the yolk to mix with the white. A little yolk in your whites is not a problem when making an omelet, but if you plan to whip the whites, any amount of yolk mixed in will prevent proper whipping.
5. Once all the white is in the bowl, you can discard the shell and yolk, or put the yolk into a separate container for later use. For more kitchen tips, visit The South Beach Kitchen section of the Web site!


