How to Separate an Egg

Sometimes recipes call specifically for egg whites or yolks; other times you might want to skip the cholesterol in egg yolks. Either way, you should know how to separate the white from the yolk. Here are some ways to do that.
Steps

1.
Beaten egg whites
Beaten egg whites
Purchase fresh eggs if you can. The membrane that encloses the yolk weakens over time so the fresher the eggs, the "tighter" the yolk. [1] Also, fresher eggs have stronger proteins, which will make for stiffer whites (if that's what you're going to be using them for).
2.
Ready for cracking and separating
Ready for cracking and separating
Chill the eggs. Since the yolk is less likely to break when it's cold[2] make sure you're working with chilled eggs. If the recipe calls for egg whites or yolks at room temperature, however, you'll need to let them sit after separating, or work more carefully with eggs that are already at room temperature.
3. Use one of the methods described below to separate the eggs.
4.
Put the previously separated whites and yolks in a separate bowl (or individually in half shells in the carton) so that if you end up with a messy crack down the line, you don't get shell shards all over your previous hard work.
5. Freeze any unused whites or yolks in small containers, labeled with how many whites or yolks are stored.[2]


Shell Transfer Method

1.
How to crack an egg. Be sure to place the egg so the middle of the egg hits the bowl's edge.
How to crack an egg. Be sure to place the egg so the middle of the egg hits the bowl's edge.
Imagine a line going around the "fattest" part of the egg--that is where you want to make the cleanest crack you can manage. The key with this method is to avoid cracking the egg unevenly, as this can make it difficult for the yolk to switch to the smaller side.
2.
Hitting the egg against bowl edge
Hitting the egg against bowl edge
Crack the egg open at about the halfway mark. You can do this by hitting the egg swiftly against the sharp edge of a bowl (a curved or round edge will result in a more jagged, messy crack).

You can also crack the egg gently on a flat surface, in which case it's more difficult to get an even break, but you're less likely to end up with small pieces of shell floating around[3] and the yolk is better protected, since breaking the shell against an edge pushes the pieces inwards, possibly piercing the yolk.[4]
3.
The egg is cracked a little
The egg is cracked a little
Hold the egg so that the cracked part is facing up.
4.
Pry open
Pry open
Pry open the egg gently, catching the yolk in half of the shell. Do this above a bowl, making sure no part of the yolk or the shell falls in.
5.
Let white slide in
Let white slide in
Switch yolk to empty shell side
Switch yolk to empty shell side
Let the white slide into the bowl. Take the eggshell half with the yolk sitting in it and switch the yolk to the other half, making sure it doesn't fall into the bowl or "melt". Repeat this about three times, switching from side to side as the white continues to drip into the bowl.



Hand Method

1.
Wash your hands.
Wash your hands.
Wash your hands with soap (preferably non-scented), and rinse. If any of the oil from your hands get into the whites, they will not fluff.[5]
2. Crack the egg over your hand (palm facing up). You might need someone to crack it for you, unless you can crack an egg with one hand.
3. Let the whites drip through the spaces between your fingers until all that is left is the yolk in your hand.




Funnel Method

1. Have someone hold a funnel over a bowl (or put it in a bottle if no one can hold it for you).
2. Crack the egg over the funnel. The whites should pass through the small opening while the egg yolk remains in the funnel.
3. If whites become trapped above the yolk, gently move the funnel around so that the yolk doesn't block the small opening and the whites can slip past it.

Separator Method

1.
Crack into a separator. (This bowl has a wide slot in one side.)
Crack into a separator. (This bowl has a wide slot in one side.)
Carefully crack the egg into the separator.
2.
Pour off the whites through the slot.
Pour off the whites through the slot.
Let the egg separator contain the yolk while the whites pour off through the slot.


Tips

* Although you could discard the yolk, a better idea is to use any of the yolks created this way to make an egg dish (like homemade mayonnaise) or for cakes. Try to have two recipes in mind before you crack the eggs open.
* If eggshell falls into the egg whites, scoop it out with a teaspoon or another larger piece of the egg shell.
* If you're beating the egg whites, such as for a meringue, make sure no yolk gets in. Any bit of yolk in egg whites will cause them not to foam.
* Seperator method can be performed with a simple slotted spoon. Just crack the egg on top of the spoon, with bowl beneath to catch the whites, and shake gently.


Warnings

* Wash your hands before and after handling raw eggs to avoid any possible bacterial contamination. Clean surfaces that come into contact with the eggs.