# What are the best ways to separate egg yolk from egg whites? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179 "2013-04-20T00:37:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shoe1234](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@shoe1234](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shoe1234)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/1 "2013-04-20T00:37:41Z")
[如何巧妙分离蛋清蛋黄 very cool way to separate yolk from egg white - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz2Vnp5ZW4c). Any others? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/2 "2013-04-20T00:52:49Z")
I just break the egg into my hand and let the white drain through my fingers. Kind of icky feeling, but quick and easy. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/3 "2013-04-20T01:02:20Z")
Mom taught me to do it that way as well. TV chef Jacques Pepin also advocates this method, he claims white is lost (up to a third, as unlikely as it sounds to me) shuffling back and forth between half a shell. I may be wrong, but Alton Brown says the same, IIRC. It really depends what’s needed. For custard, leaving bits of chalaza would be bad, so I hold the yolk in my hand, and try to pick it out without rupturing the yolk. If all you need is some white to whip for leavening, maybe you don’t have to get every last drop of white away from the yolk. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/4 "2013-04-20T01:07:13Z")
I just use one of these: [http://www.meritline.com/egg-yolk-white-separator-holder-divider-sieve---p-93774.aspx?source=fghdac&gclid=COTiypaH2LYCFSNyQgodP28A3g](http://www.meritline.com/egg-yolk-white-separator-holder-divider-sieve---p-93774.aspx?source=fghdac&gclid=COTiypaH2LYCFSNyQgodP28A3g) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/5 "2013-04-20T01:21:33Z")
I just use the shells and pour the yolk from one to the other, letting the white fall into a bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/6 "2013-04-20T01:42:41Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I just use the shells and pour the yolk from one to the other, letting the white fall into a bowl. Either this, or my hand, if I want the yolk to be totally without white. It’s really not that hard, not sure why there’s so many gadgets dedicated to it. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/7 "2013-04-20T02:24:49Z")
I did the shell thing for a long time because that’s how I learned to do it. Nowadays, I just use my hand. Easier, less chance of breaking the yolk, easy cleanup. I’ve ended up with broken yolks every time I tried to use a separator. I saw that trick with the plastic bottle on some cooking show for kids the other day. It strikes me more as an entertaining bar trick than a useful technique. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/8 "2013-04-20T03:21:13Z")
We have seedless grapes, seedless watermelons, seedless oranges. Why can’t we breed chickens to lay yolkless eggs? Or yolk-only eggs? We could propagate said chickens from cuttings. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/9 "2013-04-20T07:24:51Z")
I use a separator similar to the one linked above. It’s fast, clean, nice. More sanitary than using your hands, and more reliable than using the shell method. It was like 3 bucks too so whatever. I’ve never broken a yolk using it. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/10 "2013-04-20T07:41:57Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > We have seedless grapes, seedless watermelons, seedless oranges. > > Why can’t we breed chickens to lay yolkless eggs? Or yolk-only eggs? > > We could propagate said chickens from cuttings. I second this line of inquiry and agree with its premise. I have experience in similar issues; my second OP ever (\*quod vide)\*was on the feasibility and good sense of breeding turkeys with four legs, for those who never get enough dark meat on Thanksgiving. The OP was then drifted–hijacked, i say!–to how to keep white meat moist while still getting the dark meat done properly, at which point the Mods drop-kicked it to Cafe Society, where I suspect this one is headed. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/11 "2013-04-20T11:42:44Z")
Moved to Cafe Society from General Questions. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![lew\_cody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@lew\_cody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lew_cody)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/12 "2013-04-20T17:01:00Z")
What I do–and I’ve seen Julia Child do this–is to tap the egg enough to crack the shell, but not break it completely. Once the shell is cracked, I pull it apart into two halves and then pour the contents back and forth. The key is not to pierce the vitelline, the yolk’s membrane. In the episode of “The French Chef” where Julia makes a cheese soufflé, she can be seen using the above method. She also recommends using an “interim bowl” to catch the white for each egg; the yolk then goes into the recipe mixture or into a bowl set aside for future use; and the same for the whites. That way, you don’t risk spoiling a large number of egg whites if you do break the yolk and some falls in the bowl. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/13 "2013-04-20T17:15:03Z")
You can also crack the egg into a funnel held over a bowl or cup. That separates the yolk from the white just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Chipacabra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Chipacabra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chipacabra)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/14 "2013-04-20T19:43:04Z")
I just use my fingers. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/15 "2013-04-20T19:47:06Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Either this, or my hand, if I want the yolk to be totally without white. > > It’s really not that hard, not sure why there’s so many gadgets dedicated to it. Pretty much the same here. I’ve never used any other technique, wouldn’t bother getting any gadget all dirty for something so simple. Also, if you’re careful, you can pick up the yolk by the membrane and let the white drip off of it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/16 "2013-04-20T20:34:26Z")
Pass a constitutional amendment preventing such perversion. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/17 "2013-04-20T21:48:18Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I use a separator similar to the one linked above. It’s fast, clean, nice. More sanitary than using your hands, and more reliable than using the shell method. It was like 3 bucks too so whatever. I’ve never broken a yolk using it. I get the fast and nice thing, but… more sanitary? Very little food is prepared without touching it with your hands. Assuming you wash your hands first, and after handling raw meat, and you don’t have big open cuts or anything like that, your hands are plenty sanitary. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/18 "2013-04-21T20:12:32Z")
Quick related tip: if you get a bit of cracked eggshell in the whites, use a piece of eggshell to scoop it out. I’m not sure why it works but it does! ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/19 "2013-04-21T20:23:35Z")
It is super easy if you hard boil them first. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179/20 "2013-04-22T00:02:03Z")
I use my hands. I kinda likes the suction device I saw somewhere else on the internet though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-ways-to-separate-egg-yolk-from-egg-whites/656179.md?page=2)