How to Separate Eggs
Learning how to separate eggs is important if you want to bake angel food cakes, macarons, macaroons, meringues, and more. It’s an important kitchen skill you’re about to master.
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Separating Egg Yolks From Whites
Sometimes you might come across a recipe that requires eggs plus additional yolks or whites.
It also isn’t uncommon to find a recipe that requires only yolks or whites, so separating eggs is a good, basic kitchen technique to master.
Egg yolks are often used in rich recipes like custards, ice creams, puddings, and curds, whereas whites are usually used recipes that you want to be made fluffy by the addition of whipped egg whites, or recipes that are deliberately made lighter by omitting the higher fat yolks.
A little egg white left behind, clinging to the outside of the yolk won’t impact your recipe. But, when using only the whites, it is essential that you don’t mistakenly leave any of the yolk behind.
Yolk mixed in with the white will alter your recipe negatively due to the fat content of the yolk – the egg whites won’t whisk up properly if your recipe is calling for soft or stiff peaks, for example.
How to Separate Eggs
There are a few different ways to separate eggs, but I think that the easiest and least messy method for separating eggs is the one that involves transferring the yolk back and forth between the two halves of the shell.
1. First, place two clean bowls in front of your workspace.
2. Next, crack the egg, just like you normally would. Whether you crack it on the counter or on the edge of the bowl is up to you. Do whatever feels most comfortable.
3. When you crack the egg, let the whites fall into one of the bowls you’ve laid out. You want to slowly, and carefully open the cracked egg so that the yolk stays inside and the whites come out.
4. Pass the egg yolk back and forth from one half of the shell to the other, while allowing any remaining egg white to seep out and into your bowl.
5. After you’ve gotten all of the white out of the shell, you can place the yolk into the other empty bowl.
6. Repeat this process until you’ve separated the number of eggs that your recipe calls for.
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Is it Okay to Have Some Whites in the Yolks?
I mentioned earlier that having traces of egg yolk in your egg whites would be detrimental for some recipes. However, if you have traces of egg whites mixed into your yolks that shouldn’t be a problem. Just make sure there isn’t too much!
How to Remove Egg Shell From Raw Egg
If any bits of egg shell land in your perfectly separated egg yolks or whites, simply scoop them out using one of the eggshell halves.
Can I Save Raw Egg Whites or Yolks?
If you’re making a recipe that calls for either egg whites or egg yolks, you may be wondering what you should do with the leftover bits of raw egg that don’t get used in the recipe.
Do NOT throw out the raw egg! You can either cook it up right away and make some form of scrambled eggs, or you can store the raw egg in the fridge.
Egg yolks should be covered with water and kept in an airtight container. They’ll stay good for one or two days in the fridge.
As for egg whites, they can be refrigerated or frozen. I haven’t frozen egg whites myself, but if The Pioneer Woman says it can be done, then I’m sure it’ll work out fine.
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Tips for Separating Eggs
Yes, you can buy an egg separator and use that to separate egg yolks from egg whites. But I hate buying kitchen tools that have only one use, especially for something as easy as separating eggs.
Before separating the eggs, you’ll want to have two separate bowls on hand — one for the yolks, one for the whites. This way you’re not scrambling to pull an extra bowl out of the cupboard while holding a cracked raw egg in one hand!
Recipes That Use Egg Whites:
Now that you know how to separate eggs, you might need some recipe inspiration to practice your new skill. Or, in the even that this isn’t a new skill for you and you already have some separated egg whites and yolks laying around in the fridge, perhaps leftover from some other culinary deliciousness, here are some recipes ideas for you:
Cinnamon Vanilla Glazed Walnuts
Made with just 8 simple ingredients, these Cinnamon Vanilla Glazed Walnuts are a great easy recipe to add to your holiday treat making list!
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes and Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
Vanilla cupcakes are classic, but you can switch it up a bit with some homemade vanilla bean cream cheese frosting.
Raspberry Vanilla Bean Marshmallows
Do you need a fun treat for Valentine’s Day? Or maybe something cute to do with the kids? These Homemade Marshmallows are so much fun!
Mocha Roasted Almonds
Mocha Roasted Almonds are an incredibly easy snack to make that will help you satisfy your sweet tooth without ransacking your healthy snacking goals. They also make great homemade holiday gifts and Christmas Candies.
Lemon Curd Pavlova with Raspberries
This Lemon Curd Pavlova is topped with fresh raspberries. You can make lots of mini pavlovas and serve them individually, or make one large pavlova as a dessert centerpiece.
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Recipes That Use Egg Yolks:
Now that you know how to separate eggs, here are several recipes that use extra egg yolks!
Raspberry Curd
A lovely red curd that's slightly tangy - perfect for spreading on scones or toast!
Dark Chocolate Almond Molten Lava Cake Sundaes
Dark Chocolate Almond Molten Lava Cake Sundaes are the perfect dessert for two this Valentine's Day. Cake, with a center that tastes like the most delicious hot fudge, is topped with ice cream and sliced almonds for a pretty presentation and decadent chocolate richness.
Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup
Rather than a traditional Chicken Noodle Soup recipe I decided to make a Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup because it felt a little more spring-like and perfect for those darn springtime sniffles. You'll enjoy this one no matter the weather.
Dark Chocolate Orange Pudding
This silky smooth dark chocolate orange pudding is enhanced with three types of Chocolate: semi-sweet, unsweetened, and cocoa powder, proving that Chocolate Pudding isn't just for little kids.
Salted Caramel Budino
Layers of chocolate cookie crumbles, rich caramel custard, salted caramel sauce and whipped cream make up this scrumptious Italian dessert.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pudding Parfaits
Chocolate chip cookies, chocolate pudding, and whipped cream are layered together in these tasty Chocolate Chip Cookie Pudding Parfaits
Homemade Lemon Basil Ice Cream
This recipe turns the idea of a sweet treat on its head a bit by adding something savory to the mix–it’s Lemon Basil Ice Cream! It may sound strange, but it is truly intoxicating.
Asparagus Tart with Gruyere
This asparagus tart may seem simple, and sure enough, the recipe itself comes together easily. Everything falls into place with very little effort, but the end result is nothing short of extraordinary.
Orange Curd
Orange Curd is a delicious way to use up extra oranges!
Coconut Lemon Curd
Coconut Lemon Curd is perfect for spring!
Grapefruit Curd
Grapefruit curd is the perfect thing to make when you need to use up leftover egg yolks.
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What’s your favorite recipe to make with egg yolks or egg whites?
How to Separate Egg Whites
Sometimes you might come across a recipe that requires eggs plus additional yolks or whites. It also isn’t uncommon to find a recipe that requires only yolks or whites, so separating eggs is a good, basic kitchen technique to master.
Ingredients
- 3 Whole Eggs
Instructions
- First, place two clean bowls in front of your workspace.
- Next, crack the egg. Whether you crack it on the counter or on the edge of the bowl is up to you. Do whatever feels most comfortable.
- When you crack the egg, let the whites fall into one of the bowls you’ve laid out. You want to slowly, and carefully open the cracked egg so that the yolk stays inside and the whites come out.
- Pass the egg yolk back and forth from one half of the shell to the other, while allowing any remaining yolk seep out and into your bowl.
- After you’ve gotten all of the white out of the shell, you can place the yolk into the other empty bowl.
- Repeat this process until you’ve separated the number of eggs that your recipe calls for.
Notes
There are a few different ways to separate eggs, but I think that the easiest and least messy method for separating eggs is the one that involves transferring the yolk back and forth between the two halves of the shell.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 72Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 6g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
This post about How to Separate Eggs originally appeared on Food Fanatic.
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