The best way to separate eggs, if you’re doing several at a time, is to lay out four small bowls on a countertop. One bowl is to catch the whites when you break the egg, the second is for the yolk, the third is for clean whites with no bits of yolk, and the fourth is for whites that have bits of yolk in them. The reason for having bowls three and four is that having bits of yolk in the whites will prevent them from whipping well.

Crack an egg over bowl one, hold the yolk in your palm, and let the white drizzle through your fingers, being careful not to break the yolk. If the egg separates cleanly, add the white to the clean whites, and the yolk to the yolks. If the yolk breaks, add the white to the non-clean whites. Use the non-clean whites for omelettes, scrambled eggs, etc. Only whip egg whites that have no trace of yolk in them.

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