Skip This Freezer Trick And Avoid A Mess When Separating Eggs

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When it comes to using eggs, there are a lot of temperature-related guidelines. For the best scrambled eggs, for example, you'll want to let the uncooked eggs come to room temperature in order to facilitate even cooking. A similar principle applies to baking with eggs. Generally, adding room temperature eggs to your batter helps them blend in better and improves texture for fluffier, airy bakes. On the other hand, if your recipe requires separating the eggs, you should start cold. Separating eggs immediately after removing them from the refrigerator, when their yolks are a bit sturdier, will reduce the risk of a broken yolk and having to over.

But of course, it's easy to have too much of a good thing. If cold eggs are easier to separate, you may find yourself asking, then why not pop them into the freezer first? Samantha Merritt, creator of Sugar Spun Run, a baking website known for reliable, from-scratch recipes, advises against this, saying refrigerated temperatures are sufficiently cold. "Also," she says, "if you freeze them, you run the risk of making them too cold and accidentally freezing the egg, which could cause the shells to crack and/or the texture to change." According to Merritt, this can result in wasted eggs and disappointing baked goods. In summary, there's no real benefit to putting your eggs in the freezer over the refrigerator, but plenty of potential negatives. 

"There are many fun gadgets and tricks out there for separating egg yolks from the whites, but I think simple works best," Samantha Merritt tells us. Her preferred method is to crack the egg over a (clean) container, letting the white drip into it. Carefully pour the egg yolk from one shell-half to the other until the entire white has fallen into the bowl below. Although she reiterates the value of using cold eggs in order to reduce the risk of yolk breakage, she says, "I use this method with warm and cold eggs alike."

Another common, gadget-free method of separating eggs is to simply use your hands. Once you've cracked the egg, tip the yolk gently into your hand and let the white slide through your fingers. Or, crack the egg into a clean bowl and use your hand to fish the yolk out. (If you're using the raw, separated egg whites in a mixed beverage, keep in mind that you'll want to touch the shell as little as possible, to reduce the risk of salmonella.)

If you do prefer to use a fun gadget, you've got your choice of cute-yet-effective options, like the Peleg Design YolkFish Egg Separator (it's shaped like goldfish!), as well as more basic options, like Camkyde's stainless steel egg separation tool. The good news is, it's easy to find one under $10. But whichever method you use, stick to separating cold eggs for consistent results.