Why You're Cracking An Egg All Wrong, According To José Andrés

You can count on Chef José Andrés in so many situations. The Spanish-born, naturalized U.S. citizen has achieved legendary status for his genius in the kitchen, his unfailing warm heartedness, his astonishing generosity of spirit, and his genuine commitment to those in need. 

In 2010, Andrés founded the World Central Kitchen in response to the needs he saw in Haiti. World Central Kitchen leads the pack in providing meals for people facing destruction, being it from natural disasters or the man-made sort (via The New Yorker). He was a man on a mission during the pandemic (per Time); Most recently, Andrés and his volunteers served tens of thousands of meals in war-torn Ukraine and are assisting with relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ian, as well. Andrés' believes his team's efforts are vital to the people's spirits as well as their bodies, as expressed on their site's webpage, "[F]ood relief is not just a meal that keeps hunger away. It's a plate of hope. It tells you in your darkest hour that someone, somewhere, cares about you" (via World Central Kitchen).

But Andrés cares for those whose disasters are the more everyday kitchen sort, too. His Instagram page and podcasts provide basic tips and insights from a man who sees himself as constantly learning and needing to learn more (per Andrew Zimmern).

It's especially appropriate that José Andrés is here to tell us that we need to learn how to crack an egg, a skill that most people feel they've mastered and a task that many cooks perform numerous times a day. Sometimes, you just have to start over again with the basics. 

What do most people do and what's wrong with it? As Andrés explains, most people crack their eggs against a bowl or cup. It does the job, so what's the problem? Andrés says in an Instagram video, "This is Salmonella 101!" The force of breaking an egg against an edge does a fair amount of quick damage, which causes the eggshell to break into the inside of the egg, potentially contaminating the interior. That contamination can get passed on to whatever you add your egg to.

What is the better way? According to Andrés, the right way to break an egg is against a flat surface like a table or cutting board, which causes less intense pressure to the shell and prevents salmonella from penetrating. This will allow you to use yolk and white safely and easily. Count on Chef Andrés to find a better and gentler method to do something basic.