Can You Pre-Crack Eggs? Why Would You?
Pre-cracking eggs is a great way to save time and effort when you’re planning to bake at home. Just add the pre-cracked eggs to a container and then use them as required without worrying about eggshells! But there are a few things to keep in mind when you opt for this convenience.
Can you pre-crack eggs? Why would you? Pre-cracking eggs is a fantastic way of quickly adding whole eggs when you need them. This strategy also eliminates the risk of eggshells that may end up in your baked goods – but you may want to follow a few storage best practices to get the most out of this method!
Read below to learn more about how to pre-crack eggs, how to use and store them, and some tips and tricks to get the most out of this method.
Pre-Crack Eggs for Baking
Eggs play a big role in the world of baking because they help bind ingredients and also lend a lot of texture to any baked product.
People have been using eggs in baking for centuries. Whether it is to add sheen to biscuits or pastries or to bind ingredients together – eggs are essential in almost every aspect of baking. However, using eggs also poses several risks.
Here are some of the top risks associated with using eggs, especially when used improperly:
- Eggs may contain bacteria
- Egg shells can ruin the texture of food
- Cracking eggs requires some skill
Eggs Contain Bacteria
Eggs, just like any other food item is prone to spoilage. But even when it isn’t cracked, an egg may carry bacteria around its shell. This is especially true for people who use eggs from their chickens at home.
Eggs pass through the chicken and they usually lay them in an environment that is inherently unclean. Chicken feces and decomposing food can contaminate the egg and most of the time, the shell will also contain some bacteria.
This is why store-bought eggs are cleaned and screened for germs before they are dispatched. Take a close look at any store-bought egg and you will notice two things: a clean surface and an expiry date printed on the top or bottom of the egg.
Store-bought eggs are usually properly cleaned as soon as they are collected and are then stamped with an expiration date before being shipped. However, when you opt to use home-grown eggs then you are bound to run into problems.
The first issue is decontamination. Washing eggs isn’t easy and requires quite a lot of time and there is also the risk of cross-contamination as you may end up spreading the bacteria from one surface to the other while cleaning them.
This is why we recommend that you pre-crack only commercial eggs that are precleaned and screened for pathogens.
Eggshells
The other common problem that many bakers face when cracking eggs is stray eggshells. Eggshells don’t render with heat and in many cases, you will notice them if they end up in your baked goods.
This can become an even bigger issue when you are using contaminated home-grown eggs. Even if the eggs themselves don’t contain salmonella or other pathogens, you may end up contaminating food just by inadvertently adding the eggshells.
Egg shells are notorious to remove because of the gel-like texture of eggs. Once a few pieces of egg shells land in the bowl with the egg, it can become a nightmare to clean! Also, if you try using your fingers to do it, you may end up contaminating the mixture too.
Cracking Eggs Requires Skill
Cracking eggs may seem easy after all, you might have noticed chefs breaking eggs with just one hand in numerous cooking videos – but this requires considerable skill! If you get the angle wrong or apply too much (or too little) pressure when cracking them, you can end up with eggshells.
The correct way to crack eggs is to use the back of a knife to carefully crack open the eggs using just one tap. If you apply multiple taps then the eggshell will break off into smaller pieces. This is why we recommend that you firmly tap the egg using any hard and even surface.
After the egg has cracked, put your thumbs at the edge of each side near the crack and pull away to release the egg white and yolk. Be very gentle during this step because if you apply too much pressure through your thumbs, you may end up adding multiple eggshells!
If you are new to cooking, then we don’t recommend that you tap the egg against the counter as it may result in a mess! It is best to use the side of a spoon or the back of the knife.
For the best results, try cracking the eggs in a separate bowl so that you can check for shells. Try to remove as many shells without breaking the yolk!
Storing Pre-Cracked Eggs
Pre-cracked eggs aren’t the norm in the baking world unless you run a small bakery and require eggs daily. If you do want to go with this method, then we suggest that you follow a few best practices.
First, properly clean an airtight container using anti-bacterial soap. This will remove all the germs from the surface of the container. Next, dry the container using a clean dry cloth. Remember, water and bacteria are the enemies of raw eggs!
Eggs are considered to be a risky food because they can go bad very quickly, especially if they aren’t stored properly.
When the eggs are intact, the shell provides a barrier that protects the egg from various environmental factors which allows them a stable shelf life (until the expiration date). When you remove this protective barrier, you would need to protect the raw eggs using a container.
Store the container at the back of the fridge at 40F for the best results. Remember, you should never leave raw eggs out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. According to the CDC, bacteria thrive at room temperature and can double in population every 20 minutes!
Here is how you should store pre-cracked eggs:
Step 1: Crack the eggs one at a time in the container and check for shells before cracking another egg. You can follow our tips above for how to crack them.
Step 2: Store 2-3 eggs per container. Please make sure that you don’t store raw eggs in batches as it will become difficult to separate them when you need them for baking. You should also aim to leave the yolk intact for the best results!
Step 3: Once you store the eggs in the fridge. Try to use them within 2-3 days for the best results. If you leave them for longer then the yolks will start to dry and this may also affect the texture of the baked goods.
Tips and Tricks
- If you don’t know how to crack eggs properly then we recommend going for egg-cracking tools like this one. These tools are designed to crack eggs without the added mess! They do tend to leave some eggshells at times but it’s better than cracking them manually. Just crack them separately in a bowl, look for shells (if any), and then store them as indicated above.
- You can store the yolk and egg whites separately as well. This strategy works best for several baking recipes that only require egg yolks. You can store the egg yolks as indicated above but be very gentle when separating the yolks as they can break easily.
- There are generally two ways to separate the yolk. The first method involves using a spoon or your fingers to gently lift the yolk from the whites. Wash your hands before picking up the yolk! The second method is to half-crack the egg and then make just enough of an opening to let the egg white fall down.
- You can also catch the yolk by cracking the egg and then positioning the shell in an upright position over a bowl. Gravity will pull down the egg white and the yolk will remain on the upright and halved eggshell.
- As mentioned above, pre-cracking eggs are not the norm, and you should use fresh eggs every time to get the best results – if you do pre-crack them, try to use the eggs within 1-2 days to avoid contamination.
Related Questions
Can You Freeze Pre-Cracked Eggs?
Yes, you can freeze pre-cracked eggs. Although they won’t provide the same texture or flavor after they thaw, you can extend the shelf life of the eggs by several months by freezing them at 0F. Store the eggs in a freezer-safe container and thaw them in the fridge overnight.
Why Are My Pre-Cracked Eggs Runny?
When storing pre-cracked eggs, a change in consistency is normal but if the eggs become watery and “loose” then this would indicate that they have gone bad. You should also look out for changes in appearance and smell to be sure!
