Here are some tricks for working with eggs:
- To separate egg whites from the yolk, start with cold eggs because they are easier to work with. I've found the best way is to crack an egg into your hand that you're holding over a bowl. Gently cradle the yolk in your fingers, letting the white dribble through your hands into the bowl. Then place the yolk in another bowl; repeat.
- The best way to get a bit of broken eggshell out of eggs in a bowl is to use another piece of eggshell to scoop the broken fragment up the side of the bowl.
- Eggs separate best when they're cold, but the whites will beat into more volume when they're warmer. Let the egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes after separating and before beating them for the best volume.
- Store eggs in the actual refrigerator, not the refrigerator door. The door's temperature fluctuates too much, and the jostling that occurs from opening and closing the door ages the eggs.
- Never use a cracked or broken egg. Keep eggs refrigerated at all times. If you have a person with a compromised immune system in your house, don't use eggs without thoroughly cooking until the yolk is hard. You can find pasteurized eggs to use in recipes that call for raw eggs.
- And finally, the color of the shell doesn't affect the taste or nutrition of the eggs. It just tells you that a more exotic kind of chicken gave birth to that egg.
