How to Separate Egg Whites and Egg Yolks

Separating egg whites from egg yolks is typically done to isolate the egg whites for whipping. When you whip or beat egg whites, they form stiff peaks. (See my article on How to Whip Egg Whites Into Stiff Peaks). You also might want the egg yolks for rich recipes such as Spritz cookies, pound cake, vanilla ice cream, pudding, custard and cheesecake. You can separate the egg yolks from the egg whites in several ways. I outline what I consider to be the two best ways below.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Room-temperature eggs, preferably older rather than very fresh
• 3 clean and dry bowls, otherwise known as Bowl #1, Bowl #2, and Bowl #3
• slotted spoon

1. FIRST WAY TO SEPARATE THE EGG WHITES: Crack the room-temperature egg gently so it is open a crack but do not separate the shell completely. Hold it over Bowl #1 and let the egg white drizzle out. Do not let any egg yolk get into the bowl. When most of the egg white is strained out, pour the yolk that remains in a separate bowl, Bowl #2.

2. Crack the second egg open and let the egg white drizzle out into Bowl #3, following the same instructions as above. It is important to use Bowl #3 and not Bowl #1 for this. Afterward, pour the egg white into Bowl #1 to join the previous egg white. By using two bowls for the egg whites, you prevent the whole thing getting contaminated with egg yolk in the event some egg yolk slips through.

3. Repeat the previous step for each additional egg.

4. SECOND WAY TO SEPARATE THE EGG WHITES: Crack an egg open gently, and carefully pour the whole egg into Bowl #1.

5. Remove the yolk from the bowl using a slotted spoon and place it in Bowl #2.

6. Crack the second egg into Bowl #3. Remove the yolk using a slotted spoon and place it with the second yolk in Bowl #2. Pour the egg white you just separated into Bowl #1 to join the first.

7. Repeat the previous step for all your eggs, keeping egg whites and egg yolks separate.

8. If these methods don't work for you, you can try an egg separator, which is a device to help you do just that--separate the egg yolks and egg whites.

Tips & Warnings

• The second method is best used only when the eggs are cold. The yolk is less likely to break up when the eggs are cold.
• Tightly wrap up and use the unused yolks the same day for making something else, like custard, cheesecake, Spritz cookies, ice cream or other recipes that call for extra egg yolks.
• Throw out or store for later any egg white that gets contaminated with egg yolk. Be sure to wash and dry your bowl afterward to remove an traces of yolk before using it again to hold the next egg whites.
• Be sure your eggs are clean, and that when you crack open the eggs to let out the whites, you don't let the egg whites run down the eggshell. That's not sanitary and may add to the risk of salmonella.

Resources

• How to Whip Egg Whites Into Stiff Peaks

[veryirie]

on 11/2/2008 Wow, I didn't realize there were so many steps, but I'm going to try this, because I always have such a difficult time. Thanks for sharing!