We all have our reasons for separating the yolks from the egg whites—dietary restrictions, flavor preferences—and a slapdash crack-and-dump usually does the trick. A little broken yolk isn’t a big deal. But there is that one scenario when a bit of yolk can really ruin everything: meringue. A little blob of broken egg yolk can keep a meringue from reaching peak fluff potential.
The trouble with yolks
A properly whipped batch of egg whites can be the central ingredient for a fluffy omelet, ethereal pancakes, airy Japanese cheesecakes, a crunchy pavlova, or this lemon pudding cake. Sadly, the fatty egg yolk (or any fat) can interfere with the formation of the egg white foam, causing it to take longer to whip and be less robust. If enough fat is introduced, it’ll never get past the loose foamy stage. The worst case scenario for large batch recipes is when you drop a glob of yolk into a bowl of six or seven successfully separated whites. Somehow, it’s always the last egg, so you feel like you’ve lost the whole bowl. Thankfully, one of these two tricks can change that.
How to clean up your "dirty" egg whites
Use a leftover egg shell half: When it comes to fishing out egg parts in a bowl of eggs, nothing works better. I tried this trick on a hunch when the cotton swab method (below) left behind some mini-blobs of yolk. The best way to fish an elusive shard of eggshell out of your morning scramble prep is to use a large piece of egg shell, so why wouldn’t the same method work for wayward yolk?
I dipped a discarded half-shell into the egg white near the yolk streaks and they flew right in. Yes, I lost a little bit of white in the process but it was truly minimal, and it’s a worthwhile sacrifice for properly whipped whites. This will even work for large-size blobs of egg yolk.
Use a cotton swab. This tool is good if you notice just a speck of egg yolk has invaded your bowl of whites and the discarded shells are gone or covered in yolk. I saw this tip from America’s Test Kitchen’s Instagram, so I assumed it would work like a magical yolk vacuum. In practice, this trick falls a little short for me, but I can see it being helpful for some.
Simply take a regular cotton swab and dip it into the egg right next to the offending yellow, and with a rotating motion, lift out the yolk as you spin the swab. It should cling to the cotton tip.
How to avoid the problem
The best way to keep your egg whites pristine is to prevent the yolks from breaking in the first place.
Don’t juggle the yolks from shell to shell. I am guilty of this, and so is the person in the lead picture of this article. I'll successfully separate two eggs, be coaxed into a false sense of security, and it always comes back to bite me. The shell's edge is sharp and jagged. I don’t care how much experience you have, it’s probably the easiest way to screw up the yolks.
Your hands are the best tool. The easiest, gadget-less way to do it is to use your fingers as a sieve instead. Crack the egg into your non-dominant hand and let the white fall through. Then you can pinch off the stubborn whites with your fingers while still gently cradling the yolk.
Always crack over an intermediary bowl. Once you’re confident the white in that bowl is clean, dump it in the actual mixing bowl. Repeat. Then if you do accidentally rip apart an egg yolk in there, the mixing bowl of whites is still usable. Get a new bowl to crack a new egg, and keep the busted one for a snack.