What are the best ways to separate egg yolk from egg whites?

I use a separator. Shell-to-shell has led to too many broken yolks in my experience.

I do agree with the advise to use a separate container for the current egg white - if a smidgen of yolk DOES wind up in that container, you haven’t ruined the whole bowlful of whites.

Separator annoyance though: none of them are really shaped right to rest over a container. One had a slit on the edge so it could hang over a cup - but fit none of my cups. Like this:
O|====

Another one has a slightly rubberized handle, and a bit of a lip on the “bowl” portion, but it’s not enough of a lip to be stable and it’s too easy to knock over - like this:
=O====

The damn thing needs to have a 3ish inch extension on BOTH SIDES of the egg-holding portion, like this:

====O====

I must say, this one does look like fun :D.

Think of the egg as a single cell.

Think of the yolk as the nucleus.

That’s the starting point from where you must travel to get to the yolkless (or yolk-only) egg.

On a different subject, I kinda want to separate a couple of eggs this way, then cook the whites in one pan, and the yolks in another pan, and plate them together.

Just to see how it would look and taste.

Oh yes, it does.

I especially like the suggestion that it would make a terrific Mother’s Day gift.

I just saw some gadget advertised on TV this morning that works like the soda bottle.

I’ve always used the egg shell method.

I’ve never had any issue with the shell or hand method.

I think he meant “clean” instead of “sanitary.” You don’t have to wash your hands after using an egg separator.

I used to do the pass it back and forth between the half-shells until I saw Meryl Streep in The Hours. She just used her hands and I thought, well, that makes more sense.

I use the back-and-forth shell method, but will have to keep this ingenious solution in mind for next time:

Yabbut, how does she do it in Julie & Julia? That would strike me as the more authoritative role model…