Gather your supplies: You will need the eggs you want to separate and three clean bowls, one for the egg whites and one for the yolks, and the third one to use for any remaining eggs you crack. This helps avoid any possible yolk getting into the white and ruining all the whites you've already separated.
Crack the egg: Hold an egg gently in one hand and tap it against a flat surface, such as a countertop or cutting board, to create a crack in the shell. Make sure to tap it gently to avoid breaking the yolk.
Open the egg: Using your thumbs, carefully open the egg by pulling the shell halves apart. Keep the egg over one of the bowls while doing this, allowing the egg white to flow into the bowl while the yolk stays intact in the shell.
Transfer the yolk: Gradually transfer the egg yolk back and forth between the shell halves, allowing the egg white to drip into the bowl below. Be careful not to let the yolk fall into the bowl with the whites.
Collect the separated whites: As you transfer the yolk between the shell halves, the remaining egg white will continue to drip into the bowl. Once most of the egg white has separated, gently tip the shell to let any lingering whites fall into the bowl.
Transfer the yolk to a bowl
Repeat with any remaining eggs you need to separate
Using Your Hands
Crack the egg: Hold the egg in one hand and gently tap it against a flat surface, such as a countertop or cutting board, to create a crack in the shell. Be careful not to crack it too forcefully to avoid breaking the yolk.
Open the egg: Use your fingers to create a small opening in the cracked eggshell. Pour the egg in your hand, allowing the egg white to slip through your fingers into a clean bowl below, while the yolk remains in your hand.
Transfer the yolk: Transfer the yolk from your hand to another clean bowl. You can do this by gently sliding it off your fingers or tipping your hand slightly to let it roll into the bowl.
For a Large Number of Eggs
Crack all eggs into a large bowl. You can also crack eggs into a bowl and then pour them into a larger bowl. This helps avoid the possibility of a broken yolk ruining the entire batch.
Once all eggs are cracked and in one bowl, place a clean hand into the bowl scooping up one yolk at a time. Lightly separate fingers allowing the white to slip back into the bowl.
Place the yolk in a separate bowl and repeat until all egg yolks have been removed
Notes
Step-by-step photos are available above this recipe card in the post.
It's always a good practice to have a separate bowl for cracking the eggs into, and another bowl for transferring the separated whites or yolks. This way, if you accidentally get yolk in the whites, you won't risk contaminating all of the separated whites at once.
Remember to be gentle when handling the eggs to avoid breaking the yolks or getting any shell fragments in the egg whites or yolks.
These methods may take some practice, but with time, you'll become more adept at cleanly separating egg whites from yolks using any method.