Tips & Tricks

Why Keep the Yolk out of the Whites?

Posted by Brandon Shook on March 10, 2010 0 Comments

Because the recipe tells you to…OK, it’s been fun, I’m going to go home now. Arg, what kind of baking guru (not really a guru) would I be if I didn’t explain why it’s important to separate the yokes from the whites. First off, lets make sure we’re on the same page, when you crack open an egg the yellow ball in the middle is the yoke and all the gooey clear substance around yoke is the whites. I’m sure you all ready knew that, but I’m here to thorough…that’s my job. Here are a couple reasons why people separate the yokes from the whites

Health

Ah yes, the main reason why anyone modifies or changes a recipe, because they want it to be healthier. The yokes have a very high fat content so people looking to slim down tend to eat just the whites. The whites have no fat, and is high in protein, which makes it a good source of energy when fueling up for cardio or strength training. Like with most things, there is another side to this story. While the whites contain no fat they also have little to no nutritional value. So if you’re looking to get your daily doses of vitamins A and D you might consider keeping the yokes or look for another source of vitamins and nutrients.

Baking

When you’re baking something that calls only for egg whites, like meringue and certain cakes, the presence of yoke can dramatically change the consistency of what you’re baking. Like I said before, yolks contain a lot of fat while whites don’t, when the whites are whipped or mixed, they create air bubbles which helps the cake, or whatever you’re baking rise. If there are any yolks mixed in with the whites, the fat from the yoke separates the bubbles causing what you bake to stay flat and dense.

Now that you know why people separate the yokes from the whites it’s important that you know how to do it yourself. In the video below, Marc Bauer from the French Culinary Institute shows us the proper technique for separating eggs. Now that you know why we separate the yokes from the whites, you can go out and make something delicious.