How to separate eggs

I know what you may be thinking , but this is not a trashy column in a gossip magazine , so elevate your mind back up to the fine art of creating with food .

Why is egg separation necessay you may ask , and the answer (I was told by Chahna ) is that clean egg whites , free of any yolk , can be whipped into stiff , stable peaks and used in meringues , pavlovas , light delicious mousse , as well as other desserts that we will come across later on in this blog . The separated egg yolks are also useful in ice cream , custards , hollandaise sauce and bakes that require enriching .

Many of you may have this technique sorted already , but for those that are yet to master it , don't worry , it is not as hard as it looks and it is an incredibly useful skill to have under your belt .

So pull your sleeves up and put your glasses on ( sorry , that is just a reminder for me ) and practice with one egg at a time until you have mastered it . It is so satisfying , once you've got it , you will feel like showing off your new skill on Britain's Got Talent or at least to someone appreciative you know .

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/6ddfbe_4c168a9efb054609bda33f3a0aa76768/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Method:

1. Gently crack the egg on the rim of a bowl . Aim for the middle of the egg if you can .

2. Again gently , pry the egg shell halves apart and let the egg yolk settle into one of the shell halves .

3. Then , again gently (why is cooking all so gentle , when real life can be so tough , maybe there's a lesson there somewhere ) , tip the egg yolk back and forth between the two half egg shells so that most of the egg white drips into the bowl below . Try your best to avoid breaking the egg yolk , but if you do , here are some tips to avert a disaster .

   Firstly , do your separating act over a small bowl (bowl 1 ) . Every time you successfully separate the white from the yolk , just pour the clean white into a whites bowl (bowl 2) and the egg yolks into a yolk bowl (bowl 3)

   I know that you're not stupid , but I get bowl confusion just writing this , so I wanted to make it as clear as possible .

   Another , trick to try , if you hate all the washing up , is to just use 2 bowls , and if any yolk disasters occur and they contaminate the pristine whites , then dip half of an egg shell into the whites near to the egg yolk contamination and a magic kitchen moment will manifest before your very eyes ( or the eyes of Britain if you've actually applied to the show - see intro ) Its like a magnet , the egg yolk just gets sucked up into the half shell , though you may loose a little of the egg white in the process , but that's a minor loss in return for sheer showmanship .

Finally , pour the separated egg yolk into a clean bowl to use when needed .

Well done , you are a star and have mastered another very useful kitchen skill , with which you can dazzle your family , dinner party guests , or just yourself ( which I do all the time , so don't worry if that's you too , because , we are the bizz , you and me . )