Separating eggs

Separating eggs is a process usually used in cooking, in which one removes the egg yolk from the egg white. This is used to allow one part of the egg to be used without the other part — for instance, many recipes require frothing egg whites to make a foam, which will not work if the yolk is also included, as fat prevents eggs from foaming. Since egg yolks are high in fat, it is best to separate them before whisking.

Methods

All methods for separating eggs make use of the fact that the yolk can hold itself together while the white is much more runny. Since older eggs have more watery yolks which make separation difficult, it is a good idea to begin with the freshest [http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=2&id=185#Freshness] eggs available. Old eggs can be used for other dishes that do not require separation, like omelettes.An egg is fresh if it lays flat at the bottom of a glass of water. It is bad if it floats.

Different methods [http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=9&id=403] :

* Break the egg and use your fingers to strain out the yolk, while the whites run into the bowl below. This is very quick but messy.
* Crack the egg in half and cradle the yolk in one half of the shell (using the other half of the shell to keep it from slipping out) while draining the white into a bowl. If some white is left with the yolk, carefully pass the yolk back and forth between halves until it is all drained, being sure not to break the yolk on the sharp edges of the shell. Then deposit the yolk into another bowl.
* Break the egg on to a plate, and trap the yolk under a glass. Carefully, drain off the whites, lifting the glass slightly.
* Use a needle to pierce the egg and run the whites out, leaving the yolk inside.
* Break the egg into a funnel, thus capturing the yolk.

Specialized tools are also available for this process.