How Garlic Can Save You Major Time When Separating Eggs

There are many recipes out there that call for you to separate eggs. You might be enjoying these egg white breakfast cups, separating yolks to make classic roman carbonara, or needing the whites to make meringue. Whatever the reason you might need to separate eggs, the truth is that it can be a bit tedious and time-consuming.

According to WebstaurantStore, there are all kinds of tools out there to help you do it more efficiently, but what happens if you're in a pinch and don't have time to go buy an egg separator tool? The trick of breaking the egg in half and using each side of the shell to shift the yolk back and forth to separate it will work; however, there's always the risk of breaking the yolk on the broken eggshell, which sort of defeats the purpose. But what if there was a trick that would literally allow you to grab the yolk and pull it out?

A word of warning: The following cooking hack should really only be used for savory dishes, and you'll see why in a moment.

Last year a TikTok trend went viral when @golddairy explained that you could use a garlic clove to pull the yolk out of the egg white. You simply crack an egg into a bowl with the yolk still intact, then rub a garlic clove between your thumb and forefinger.

The trend went viral a second time when content creator @bayashi_tv demonstrated the same technique on Instagram. According to TikTok user Noah Young of @theshilohfarm, the garlic clove releases mercaptans that make your fingers sticky and help them bond to the yolk so you can pull it out of the white. While some comments cried foul, First For Women writer Jenna Cartusciello notes that it worked for her. If you're separating eggs to make a cake, you might not want to have any sort of garlic oil anywhere near your eggs, but if you're separating them to make a quiche, omelets, or a pasta dish, this hack is the perfect way to save time and have a little fun in the kitchen.