Sometimes, when I need to crack open an egg, I will try to do it the way they always do on TV, with one hand. I usually make such a mess after the first one or two that I go back to the tried-and-true, two-handed method of cracking eggs.
This picture shows the ingredients for scrambled eggs, but in this blog post, I'm just going to focus on the egg-cracking step, which will apply whenever you use eggs, not just scrambled eggs.
Do notice something which may seem strange for a beginning cook. In addition to the large bowl in which I'm going to mix my ingredients, I have set out a small bowl (the one shown is called a "custard cup") just for the purpose of cracking open the egg(s).
You should always first crack open the egg into a second bowl before you add it to the mixing bowl. This allows you to examine the egg and, if it doesn't look perfect, you don't ruin the rest of your ingredients.
In addition, if a stray piece of eggshell falls into the bowl, it's easier to fish out of the small bowl than the one containing the rest of your ingredients.
By the way, to remove a bit of shell, use another (larger) piece of the broken shell. Amazingly, it acts like a magnet. It's a lot harder (and messier) trying to grab the broken bit with your fingers.
Many people crack open an egg on the side of the mixing bowl. This method pretty much guarantees you will get a bit of shell in the mix.
A better approach is to tap the egg (gently!) on the counter until there's a small dent (not a large crack!) You can then put your two thumbs in opposite sides of the dent, and be able to gently pull apart the shells.
Drop the egg into the small dish (custard cup) you have set aside for the purpose.
If there are no shells and the egg looks good, you can then add the egg to your mixing bowl.
Ta-da!
So, Mr. Ben "I'm an eggspert, me" Thomas, stick that up your coccyx and give it a whisk.
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