How do I separate eggs cleanly?

The only thing that really matters is that no yolk gets into the whites, because the fat in yolk prevents whites from foaming at all. Everything about the technique is designed to make a failure cost you one egg rather than six.

What you'll need

• Three bowls
• Cold eggs

Step by step

1. Set up three bowls before you start.One small bowl to separate over, one for accumulated whites, one for yolks. This single habit is worth more than any technique, because a broken yolk then costs you one white instead of the whole batch.
2. Use eggs straight from the fridge.Cold yolks are firmer and their membrane is much less likely to tear. If the recipe wants room-temperature whites for volume, separate them cold and then let the whites warm up in the bowl.
3. Crack on a flat surface, not an edge.A firm tap on the worktop or the flat base of a bowl gives a clean fracture line. Cracking on a rim drives shell splinters inward and those splinters are what puncture the yolk.
4. Method one — the shell pass.Open the egg over the small bowl and tip the yolk from one shell half to the other, letting the white fall away. Two or three passes clears most of it. Fast and needs nothing, but sharp shell edges are the commonest cause of a burst yolk.
5. Method two — the hand.Tip the whole egg into a clean cupped hand held over the bowl and open your fingers slightly. The white runs through and the yolk stays in your palm. It is the most reliable method by a distance, because your fingers are blunt and the shell is not.
6. Method three — the bottle trick.Crack the egg onto a plate, squeeze an empty plastic bottle, hold the neck over the yolk and release. The yolk is sucked in. Slower than the hand method and it involves washing a bottle, but it works well if you dislike touching raw egg.
7. Tip each clean white into the main bowl before the next egg.The moment a white is confirmed yolk-free, it joins the collection. Then the small bowl is empty again for the next one.
8. If a yolk breaks, deal with the small amount immediately.A speck of yolk can sometimes be lifted out with the corner of an eggshell, which attracts it better than a spoon. If it is more than a speck, set that white aside for scrambled eggs and start the next one — do not try to salvage it into a meringue.

Tips

• The stringy white cords attached to the yolk are the chalazae. They hold the yolk centred, they are a sign of freshness, and they are harmless — no need to remove them unless you want a very smooth custard.
• Yolks keep in the fridge for a couple of days covered with a thin layer of cold water, which stops a skin forming. Pour it off before use.
• Whites freeze better than almost anything. Freeze them in an ice cube tray, one per cube, and note how many you have — nothing looks more alike than frozen egg whites.
• Grease is as damaging as yolk. Wipe the whites bowl and whisk with a little vinegar or lemon juice on kitchen paper and dry them before starting.
• Plastic bowls hold a film of fat in scratches that washing does not remove. Use glass, ceramic or metal for whites.

Common mistakes

• Separating directly over the bowl of accumulated whites — One broken yolk contaminates every white you have separated so far. The three-bowl method exists entirely to prevent this and it takes no extra time.
• Separating eggs at room temperature — Warm yolks are slack and their membranes tear easily. Separate cold, then bring the whites up to temperature if the recipe needs it.
• Trying to remove more than a speck of yolk from whites — It is fat, and it disperses. Once a white is visibly yellow you will not whip it properly no matter how much you fish about. Redirect it to an omelette.

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