There are so many recipes out there that insist on using different parts of an egg. And I agree, if you’re new to baking separating the yolk from the white is hard to do well consistently and perfectly. That’s why I decided to try 3 different ways to separate eggs to determine the pros and cons of every method.
Why do you NEED to separate eggs properly:
When you don’t separate your eggs properly it means that there is some yolk in your white or too much white in your yolk. When there is yolk in the white, they do not whip up nicely. For example, in a sponge cake, with no leavening products, they would use egg whites to make the cake airy. Without a properly whipped egg white, your baked dessert might not turn out properly.
When there is too much of the white with the yolk, it isn’t the end of the world, but when you’re making a custard, you would use the egg yolk to thicken it. The more white there is the thinner it will turn out.
- Using a tool:
At my house, we used to use this plastic tool that has little holes in it that would let the egg white thru while keeping the yolk inside. When I tried these tools, I found that I didn’t have as much consistency with the results. The first time, it ended up working but the egg split while I was putting in in the other bowl. The second time, the yolk went thru one of the holes, popped, and got into the white resulting in a failed separation.
2. Using the shell
A lot of people have learned to crack the shell and use the two halves to transfer the yolk in between both letting the white fall out. When I first started baking, I was taught to use the shell too and I almost always ended up wasting a lot of eggs because the yolk would pop on the sharp shell corners and go in the white. This usually works 50% of the time for me. The more experience you get with baking the easier and more reliable this technique is.
3. The Best Way
My ultimate technique to separate eggs for your hands. This allows you to have total control over transferring and releasing after. It still is important to wash your hands before and after handling the eggs. When you crack the eggs, it’s important to crack it on a flat surface because you don’t want the shell to go inward and pop the yolk before you even start one of the techniques.