The best way to crack an egg is probably not what you think it is.

Itโ€™s not cracking the egg on the lip of a mixing bowl. And nope, itโ€™s not cracking an egg with one hand. Itโ€™s not tapping an egg with a butter knife eitherโ€”my home ec teacher taught me that one and I never really got the hang of it, anyway.

If you want the secret to not having bits of shell or half the egg shell in your bowl, learn how to get a clean break. The wrong way will end up having shell fragments in your bowl – and no one wants that!

hands cracking an egg over a small bowl

 

How to Crack an Egg Perfectly Every Time

I think almost everyone learns to crack eggs by giving them a gentle whack on the edge of a bowl, then pulling the two halves apart. If youโ€™re careful, you probably crack the egg into a separate bowl and then add it to whatever youโ€™re baking or cooking just in case you get some shells in there. But if you donโ€™t want to have another bowl to wash, you probably just crack your egg right into everything else and hope you donโ€™t have to go on a search-and-rescue mission for tiny bits of eggshell.

And if you donโ€™t find them all, well, you might have a crunchy surprise in your brownies!

No more suspense! Hereโ€™s the deal: you crack an egg by giving it a firm tap on the countertop, table, or cutting board. Any flat surface will do, but flat is the key word here.

Why flat? Because when you crack an egg on an edge instead of a flat surface, youโ€™re:

  1. Shattering the shell into lots of tiny pieces.
  2. Pushing the shell into the egg.
  3. Introducing bacteria from the shell to the egg.

bowl of eggs

Why Cracking Eggs on Flat Surfaces Works Better

When you tap the egg on a flat surface, it cracks without shattering. Then, all you have to do is press your thumbs into the crack until the membrane breaks, pull the two halves apart and youโ€™ve got your yolk and white intact, no shards of shell, ready to use in your recipe. Any bits of eggshell will stick to the membrane, rather than going into the egg (and your brownies).

The food safety issue bears repeatingโ€”if you like your egg yolks runny when youโ€™re making breakfast, itโ€™s really not good to have the outer eggshells come into contact with the insides. It can cause contamination and if your food isnโ€™t cooked to the right temperature to kill the bacteria, it can make you (or your family) sick.

If you already crack your eggs on a flat surface, you probably donโ€™t get what the big deal is. But if you use the crack-on-the-lip-of-a-bowl method, itโ€™s a game-changer. It might take you a few tries to get the method down, but once you do, I promise youโ€™ll never go back!

Now that you know how to get the best results, I can’t wait to hear if this easy way works for you. I promise that you’ll never crack a whole egg any other way once you try it this way. You won’t have to go through a carton of eggs or worry about finding eggshell pieces in your food.

This is one of the best life skill lessons and is such a basic method. This works with fresh eggs and is the best method for cracking eggs on the side of a bowl or a hard surface.

eggs in a wire basket

My Favorite Recipes for Eggs

Now that you know the best way to crack eggs, here are some of my favorite ways to use them!

Be sure to bookmark my post on recipes for every amount of eggs so you have some ideas at hand the next time youโ€™ve got a few eggs in the fridge that need to be used!

Categories:

About Kasey Schwartz

For over 15 years, Kasey Schwartz, the mastermind behind All Things Mamma, has been the ultimate go-to for mouthwatering family recipes. Her work has been featured on Today.com, Buzz Feed, Better Homes and Gardens, and more, making her your go-to mom next door for all things delicious and family-friendly.

Comments

  1. Carolyn says:

    I am an edge of the bowl person and can see the advantage of the flat surface method. My problem is that I had so much practice time on the bowl edge (65 years) that I wonder if I have enough time to perfect the countertop. I have to deal with yard eggs and store eggs which are a different hardness. But I will give it a try!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.