Separating Egg Whites and Egg Yolks

A simple and quick method to remove the yolk from the white of an egg for your favorite recipes

When a recipe calls for egg whites, you might want to freak out. If you’re running short on time, you don’t have the patience and time necessary to separate that pesky yolk from the egg white. Not to worry, because Steve has found a way to pull the yolk right out of the egg white. It’s quick, easy, and a little fun.

Experiment Videos

Here's What You'll Need

Egg (or two, or three)
Empty plastic water bottle
Bowls or plates

Let's Try It

Crack an egg into a bowl or plate. Be careful not to break the yolk when cracking the egg.
In your hand, lightly squeeze an empty plastic water bottle. You don’t want to compress the water bottle all of the way.
Hold the water bottle in the squeezed position. Don’t release it.
Touch the mouth of the water bottle to the egg yolk and slowly release the squeeze on the bottle. The egg yolk is pushed right into the bottle, leaving the egg white!

How Does It Work

When you squeeze the bottle, you are decreasing the air inside. If you squeeze the bottle while the mouth is facing towards you, you’ll feel air rush out. Releasing the squeeze on the bottle allows air to rush back into the bottle. If you cover the mouth of the bottle with the egg yolk prior to releasing the squeeze, the available volume inside the bottle is filled by the egg yolk. The egg yolk separates easily from the egg white because of their differing viscosity. While the egg white is runny and slimy, the yolk is more solid, enabling the entire yolk to enter the bottle while the egg white runs off onto the plate or bowl.

Take It Further

If you want to use this tool for more than recipes in your home, turn it into a literature connection. Separate the yolk from the egg white and add green food coloring to the egg white. Now you have real green eggs to use while reading Green Eggs and Ham to your students.