Three ways to separate an egg
Lovefood's Charlotte shows us three simple ways to separate an egg, including one very magical method using only a bottle...
Top tip: eggs separate best when they are cold.
Method 1: tap the egg sharply on the side of a bowl and separate it into two halves. Transfer the yolk from one half to the other, allowing the white to collect in a bowl underneath you.
Method 2: a messy one! Crack the egg into your (clean) hand, then shimmy your palm back and forth so that the egg white escapes through your fingers and into a bowl below.
Method 3: the most magical method. Crack the egg onto a plate. Get an empty plastic bottle and pinch it in the middle - hold it as you would a pen. Gently nudge the yolk with the top of the bottle and quickly un-pinch the bottle, flicking your wrist up as you do so. The yolk will shoot into the bottle, leaving the white behind!
Top tip: cover egg yolks in cold water and store in the fridge for up to two days; egg whites will keep for five days in the fridge, if kept in a sealable container.
Recipes using egg whites
Almond macaroons. A (sort of) healthy dessert, made only from egg whites, sugar, ground almonds, coconut, and a few secret ingredients... This is one of very few dessert recipes under 500 calories. Despite that, the taste is still fantastic.
Bramley apple snow. This was an Elizabethan favourite, made with cream and later, in the 17th century, with egg whites added and a sprig of rosemary stuck on top to resemble a snow-covered tree.
Giant pavlova. Enormous icebergs of meringue that fill a whole baking tin. We like mountains of Pavlova with gooey insides, creamy peaks, salted caramel and passion fruit.
Recipes using egg yolks
The Hairy Bikers' lemon Swiss roll. This teatime lovely features a light-as-a-feather lemon sponge, filled with lemon icing and home-made lemon curd. If you fancy a more traditional Swiss roll, simply fill with raspberry jam and butter icing instead.
Real custard. By using more cream and, critically, heating the sugar with the cream rather than adding it to the egg yolks, you eliminate the nervous stage of heating the custard over the stove and waiting for it to thicken.
Potato and ham rosti. A warming side to any main, Jo Pratt's rostis are made from apple, potato, cheese, ham, crème fraîche, chopped chives and a little mustard.
This is a classic lovefood article
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