How to break an egg?

[kenny1999]

I have been breaking and frying sunny side egg for 10+ years but I am still unable to break an egg nicely, most of the time there is some egg shell, I don't understand why some people can break an egg with one hand and do not worry about the egg shell. (I don't have too much egg shell but there is almost always one or two pieces)

What is the secret of breaking an egg?

 

[medtran49]

I break it against a flat surface, not an edge. Use just enough force to break the shell but not shatter it.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Have you ever noticed that, if you are going to scramble the egg, the yolk never breaks when you crack it open?

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I have a cheap paring knife from Walmart. I gently cradle the egg in one hand and crack the shell with the spine of the knife. It usually makes a nice clean break.

 

[kenny1999]

Have you ever noticed that, if you are going to scramble the egg, the yolk never breaks when you crack it open?

yes, because I have no worry about breaking the yolk, worry-free hand always breaks a perfect egg.
but egg shell has no difference

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

We have farm fresh, unwashed eggs gathered by a relative. Before cracking them, I wash the shells. My issue is that no matter how gently I let the egg fall out of the shell, the yolk breaks 9 times out of ten. I never have issues with the yolks breaking from store bought eggs. These eggs come in multiple colors, and would be considered as large size. The shell colors include light blue, cream , light brown, dark brown, and white.

It's impossible to make meringues, or any foods where the yolks need to be separated from the whites.

Shells aren't my issue. With these eggs, broken yolks are.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Termy]

I smack it with the side of a fork.

T

 

[kenny1999]

We have farm fresh, unwashed eggs gathered by a relative. Before cracking them, I wash the shells. My issue is that no matter how gently I let the egg fall out of the shell, the yolk breaks 9 times out of ten. I never have issues with the yolks breaking from store bought eggs. These eggs come in multiple colors, and would be considered as large size. The shell colors include light blue, cream , light brown, dark brown, and white.

It's impossible to make meringues, or any foods where the yolks need to be separated from the whites.

Shells aren't my issue. With these eggs, broken yolks are.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

You just shouldn't break with one hand if you are not sophisticated enough.
I always crack an egg with two hands and no problems with the yolk but the problem is the shell. 9 out of 10 times some tiny pieces of shell falls

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

You just shouldn't break with one hand if you are not sophisticated enough.
I always crack an egg with two hands and no problems with the yolk but the problem is the shell. 9 out of 10 times some tiny pieces of shell falls

I've been breaking eggs for years, both with two hands, and one handed, gently breaking against a flat surface, I've never had issues with yolks breaking, except with these eggs.

Even the Cornish crosses, which were meat chickens, that I raised never gave me issues. I wonder if its the chicken feed that is being used that creates a weak membrane around the yolk.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[karadekoolaid]

Well I commiserate, because 4 times out of 10, my eggs never break properly either!

 

[Andy M.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-LxpfOG3Ts

 

[kenny1999]

I've been breaking eggs for years, both with two hands, and one handed, gently breaking against a flat surface, I've never had issues with yolks breaking, except with these eggs.

Even the Cornish crosses, which were meat chickens, that I raised never gave me issues. I wonder if its the chicken feed that is being used that creates a weak membrane around the yolk.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

I did NOT mean the yolk. My yolk is always perfect. I mean there are always pieces of egg shell falling into the egg mixture!

 

[dragnlaw]

kenny, I agree, sometimes no matter how you break the shell, there will be pieces that fall into the egg.

I don't often have it happen, usually does when I'm in a hurry - and maybe that is the reason.

I prefer using a sharp edge to break the shell, either a knife with egg in hand, or on the edge of pan, etc. I truly prefer this to a flat surface. Reason is a flat surface creates a circular pattern of shattered shell. An edge has more of a tendency to create a line crack, sometimes even two taps.

But it is with practice you get the right amount of pressure with your whack.

With the line crack the shell is easier to split in half around the equator so to speak.
A circular crack means you have to apply more pressure to open the shell and you don't always get an even break around. This creates more cracks in the shell and more chance of a loose piece falling in.

All this is just my HO.

Another thought is just how many whacks are you giving your shell to open? One is generally enough, two on occasion. Three, I should think, you are starting to pulverize the shell too much.

My last suggestion is - always crack your egg into a separate container. You can then fish out the shell if necessary. Much easier to do than watch it in a hot pan or slide down the flour and butter in the bowl.

 

[jennyema]

Use a flat edge, like your countertop

 

[msmofet]

Crack on flat surface. One medium sharp thump should give you a clean crack to pull apart. If she’ll goes in use a large piece of shell to fish it out.

 

[taxlady]

kenny, I agree, sometimes no matter how you break the shell, there will be pieces that fall into the egg.

I don't often have it happen, usually does when I'm in a hurry - and maybe that is the reason.

I prefer using a sharp edge to break the shell, either a knife with egg in hand, or on the edge of pan, etc. I truly prefer this to a flat surface. Reason is a flat surface creates a circular pattern of shattered shell. An edge has more of a tendency to create a line crack, sometimes even two taps.

But it is with practice you get the right amount of pressure with your whack.

With the line crack the shell is easier to split in half around the equator so to speak.
A circular crack means you have to apply more pressure to open the shell and you don't always get an even break around. This creates more cracks in the shell and more chance of a loose piece falling in.

All this is just my HO.

Another thought is just how many whacks are you giving your shell to open? One is generally enough, two on occasion. Three, I should think, you are starting to pulverize the shell too much.

My last suggestion is - always crack your egg into a separate container. You can then fish out the shell if necessary. Much easier to do than watch it in a hot pan or slide down the flour and butter in the bowl.

You got me thinking. I switched to the "crack it on a flat surface method", when I kept reading about it from usually reliable sources. I didn't have a lot of luck with that. I figured I needed to practise. Then, I forgot that I was still testing out the method and just kept doing it. Now, it has been long enough. I think it worked better when I cracked the egg on a sharp surface. Time to try that out again.

I was taught to always crack the egg into a different container first, usually a small bowl. One bad egg was enough to convince me that the egg should always be cracked into that small bowl before being added to ingredients. Making it easier to fish out bits of shell is a bonus. I haven't had a bad egg in decades, but I still crack eggs into a bowl first.

 

[Andy M.]

...I was taught to always crack the egg into a different container first, usually a small bowl. One bad egg was enough to convince me that the egg should always be cracked into that small bowl before being added to ingredients...

I think that logic was more important years ago. I cannot remember an occasion when I cracked open an egg that was bad.

 

[GotGarlic]

I think that logic was more important years ago. I cannot remember an occasion when I cracked open an egg that was bad.

Same, although I'm more careful when I get eggs from a neighbor. I don't know enough about raising hens to know what makes for a bad egg. Is it just that it's old, or is there something else going on? Usually the eggs I get from neighbors have not been washed or refrigerated.

 

[larry_stewart]

I think that logic was more important years ago. I cannot remember an occasion when I cracked open an egg that was bad.

Ive had chickens fora at least a decade. Only once in all that time have I ever cracked an egg and it was bad ( and I mean REALY BAD. That was the day I learned the real significance of when someone says you smell like a rotten egg). Since then, if im using multiple eggs, I will break them in a separate bowl before adding. Im sure the egg industry is a lot more capable of weeding the bad ones out than I am, but if getting them fresh from your own ( or some else's chickens who is not in the business), better safe than sorry.

 

[jennyema]

I think that logic was more important years ago. I cannot remember an occasion when I cracked open an egg that was bad.

In 60 years of cracking eggs ive never encountered a bad one. I think it was more about fishing out bits of shell.