Put your hand up if you’ve ever tried to fish out some slippery, slathery egg shell pieces from a bowl full of raw egg.
Brother, I been there, too and we both know ain’t pretty. Yes, Shell Diving is high on the Kitchen Humiliation List, together with dropping a piece of toast jam-side-down on the floor, opening the oven door and having massive clouds of smoke blow out, or cracking an ice cube tray too strongly and sending rogue cubes scattering all over the floor.
Yes, the Awful Egg Crack is guaranteed to redden some cheeks and knock amateur chefs down a few pegs. Nobody wants to be That Guy, who cracks that egg, that badly, and that’s why it’s so sweet when you finally do master The Perfect Egg Crack. You can do it at home, by yourself, with a bit of practice. Just follow these three easy steps:
Step 1. The Tap N’ Crack . There is some debate on where exactly the egg should be tapped. Most folks like to tap the egg against an edge, like the side of a mixing bowl, but some argue that you should only tap the egg against a flat surface, like a kitchen counter or cutting board. Whatever you choose, just be sure to only dent the shell lightly instead of giving it a career-ending stab wound. Pushing too hard will result in a Slime Explosion, and unless you want to be called Salmonella Hands for the rest of your life, you don’t want that.
Step 2. Big Thumbs. This is the moment of truth. Stick your two thumbs in the dent you made and in one swift move just dig them in there deep and pull them apart. If you did it right, the shell should snap easily into two beautiful pieces, dropping its slippery plunder into the bowl below. Now, some people opt for the One-Handed move instead of ol’ faithful Big Thumbs, but I say that’s too risky. Besides, what are you really going to do with your free hand anyway?
Step 3. The Inspection. Go ahead, give it a once over. Grab a magnifying glass or hold it up to the light if you need to. But I’m going to guess it’s looking pretty pretty, my friend. Because you just performed a Perfect Egg Crack.
So beat that egg, fry that egg, whip that egg into some cake batter. It’s time to say goodbye to Kitchen Humiliation and hello to some well-deserved Kitchen Pride.
AWESOME!
It’s physics. A flat surface means that there’s more surface area in contact at the same time, which means that the overall PSI is reduced, meaning the total force is lower.
If you haven’t the strength to crack an egg, use the edge of something. If you are over the age of 3 years old, use a flat surface. Your clumsy old-person muscles will appreciate how much more forgiving it is.
I felt like such a grown-up the first time I cracked an egg. :)
Also, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Oh the fun, the thrill, the sound; sensations and experience of cracking an egg! Oh to be a part of the experience, when it’s the first time for a child! AND, oh, the five second rule as it somehow gets away and slithers like a snake onto the floor…(kidding, that one goes to the dog:)
And I was tempted by this recently, but then thought about all the joy that would be taken out of the whole egg cracking gig…But for those who really need to be perfect every time, this ones for you:
http://www.homecharisma.com/As-Seen-On-TV-EZ-Cracker-Egg-Cracker-Separator-TJ0080.htm
Hand is up. Perfectly cracking eggs is a kitchen skill I have yet to fully master. I’ve done it a few times, I think. I’ve always wanted to try the one-handed egg crack, but that seems a bit too crazy for me. There is much that I need to learn in the Kitchen Arts.
In college, as a home ec teacher in training, way back when, we were taught to hold the egg in the palm of our hand, tap it with the flat side of a butter knife to make a nice slit, and then open the shell and let the egg drop into a small bowl. Then when we were sure there were no eggshells or icky spots, we poured the egg into our mixing bowl or pan….repeat as needed!
I am the master at cracking eggs. Very rarely do I get any shell that decides it wants to jump in the pan and I have to fish it out then.
I can’t seem to Reply to anyone. I tried on the laughing echo page, but it didn’t go under the person I was replying to. It went in like a regular comment.
Me too! :)
Happy New Year, Awesome All!
I mostly have the egg thing down thanks to the great number I crack each year making my sugared pecans for friends & family for xmas. I’m also great at fishing out the shell bits when I flub up…the trick is to use one half of the broken shell, esp. a sharply jagged point to fish out the shell bit. :)
I am totally going to brag now, so if you don’t want to see any shameless self-promotion, look away!
I am a master at the one-handed-no-shell-crack. There, I said it. I own it.
I. AM. AWESOME!
You. Are. Awesome!