Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/03/05/heres-why-eggs-are-chipping-more-when-you-crack-them.html
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Oh, man, I once saw someone easefully extract a shell fragment from a bowl of cracked eggs. It was so mind blowing I immediately asked what they did. The secret is to use the remainder of the shell and scoop it out. It somehow pierces right through the white as if it’s water and doesn’t do that infuriating whack-a-mole thing a spoon will do. Still one of the top 5 kitchen hacks to me.
Seriously, try it.
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Second this but make sure the bit of eggshell used is solid and not riddled with cracks along the edge, with pieces that didn’t quite drop off
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I’ve tried it with varying degrees of success. If the piece I was trying to get out was small, using the remaining egg shell wasn’t very helpful.
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so i was on the right track when i told my husband i suspected that the chickens were calcium deficient – i just didn’t understand all the reasons.
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Your finger will 100% work if everyone at the scene is OK with it. (Actually, even if they aren’t.)
It also seems harder to peel a hard-boiled egg than it used to be. Do they store eggs longer now or something?
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Can confirm. I discovered this trick all by myself after years of trying to use my finger or a fork. On the same bit of shell.
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Is that a healthy thing to do?
Maybe OK in USA where eggs are washed (the reason they are in the fridge when you buy them), but in EU they are not - so I might scoop out the shard while adding some undesirable microbial guests to my omelette.
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Okay, now I want a Blade Runner/ Chicken Run crossover.
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I could be mistaken but I’d think cracking and pouring the egg will introduce whatever’s on the shell anyways. I’ve always washed my farm eggs right before cracking for that reason.
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I’m always impressed watching Japanese chefs on YouTube extract a piece of egg shell with chopsticks.
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I haven’t had to pick out unwanted shell since I switched to cracking my eggs on the counter instead of the side of the bowl.
It’s one of those tips that seems too simple to be effective, but it absolutely works.
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I don’t know anything about changes in the egg industry, but I have read from multiple sources that eggs that are a little older are easier to peel. According to Kenji, it only really matters if they are super fresh, though.
Yeah, I wonder about that. As I understand it, salmonella is the biggest threat and can migrate through a cracked shell into the whites, so I suppose it is a possible issue. I don’t know how hot a frying egg gets, but 165° F should be adequate to kill it. Since eggs are pretty thin, and “set” around 150° F, I’d imagine you’d eliminate most of the issue. I think the reality though is that we ingest bacteria and toxins all the time, but just not enough to be an issue.
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It really does work suprisingly well.
I zoned out a few weeks ago while baking and after cracking an egg I tossed the egg in the compost and dropped the shell in the bowl of eggs. There was much scooping with the next shell 
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A good method of getting a piece of shell out of your egg white: Wet your thumb and forefinger and pick it out. Works everytime.
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Agreed: if the fingers are wet, it’s magic.
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You’re old if you remember Fred Flintstone receiving a Purple Heart, because he had a shell in his eye.
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