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Professional cooks generally use one hand to break eggs as a means of saving time. However, doing so can also be a fun way to impress friends and family members. With practice, you can even start breaking two eggs at once! With these instructions and a little practice, you'll be a master in no time!
Steps
Hold your egg and crack it in the center. Typically, you crack the egg against the top edge of the container you are about to put the contents into. You can also crack the egg against a flat surface, which some people find lessens the chance of the yolk breaking, and prevents eggshell surface bacteria from entering the contents.- Your thumb and first finger should be holding the small end, while your second and third fingers are pressing the other end against the heel of your palm.
- Make sure the point of impact is between your thumb and first finger and the rest of the fingers.
- Open the egg. Hold the egg crack down above a pan or bowl. Separate the top half with your thumb, index and middle finger, while you hold the back half against your palm. The inside of the egg should drop out. If it doesn't, tilt your hand and try to open the shells wider with your fingers.
- Most people drop the egg yolk close to the pan or bowl, then pull it up rapidly as they continue to let it drop. This will help free the egg from the shell.
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Take care of the shells. If you are cracking many eggs, most people stack the top and bottom half of the shell and put it back in the container to discard later. Otherwise, you can throw them in a bowl or your sink. Remember that eggshells are also compostable!- If some shell dropped in after you cracked the egg, you can remove it with a fork after discarding the rest of your shells.
- Practice making the motion fluid. Keep practicing until you can do it quickly. Try to do the steps faster and faster, until you can quickly crack the egg, separate the halves, and drop the yolk in one fluid motion.
- Practice with your non-dominant hand as well. That way, you can break eggs two-handed!
- Professional cooks often break eggs two at a time to cut preparation time from recipes, but you can do it to impress family members when you are making scrambled eggs.
Hold two ping pong balls together.[1] They should be sitting in the palm of your hand, with one in front towards your fingers, and the other behind.- You can also use golf balls.
Place a quarter between the balls. Then squeeze the balls together to hold the quarter there. Your thumb, index and middle fingers should grasp one ball, while your other two fingers hold the other ball against the back of your hand. [2]- Once the positioning of your fingers is right, you can flip your hand over, holding the balls like an egg that you would crack.
- Separate the front ball from the back. This motion should come from your first three fingers. Your pinkie and ring finger should be holding the back ball against your palm.
- In order to start the motion, think about your thumb pushing away from your hand and taking the ball with it.
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
- Sometimes looking away from the egg helps. This way you are not concentrating too hard and can develop your own "touch".Thanks
- You can remove broken pieces of egg shell with another larger piece of the same egg shell. Use one half of the split egg shell and the cracked edge to scoop out any unwanted pieces of egg bits.Thanks
- If you are having trouble at first, try turning the egg and continuing the crack further around the egg, making it easier to pull open.Thanks
Warnings
- Raw eggs can contain salmonella, so be sure to wash your hands and any surfaces that the raw egg comes into contact with.Thanks
- Keep a towel and disinfectant handy to clean up spills. This will help avoid contamination of other food products that may come in contact with the same surface.Thanks
References
About This Article
To break an egg with 1 hand, start by holding the egg with your thumb and index finger around the small end, and your middle and ring fingers pressing the large end against the heel of your palm. Then, crack the center of the egg against the edge of your bowl or a flat surface. Next, hold the egg over your bowl as you separate the top half of the shell with your thumb, index, and middle fingers while holding the bottom half against your palm. If the egg doesn’t come out right away, tilt your hand a little and try to open the shell wider with your fingers. For tips on how to practice breaking an egg with 1 hand using ping pong balls and a quarter, scroll down!
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