This Is The Best Way To Save Leftover Egg Whites

If you're a fan of delicious indulgences like homemade pasta, creme brulee, or any other dish with lots of egg yolks, you may be familiar with "the egg white situation." That moment when you realize you have all these lonely egg whites, with no yolks to call friends, and no shells to call home. It doesn't seem right to throw them out; they're perfectly good and will surely be useful the next time you need to glaze some puff pastry, or coat a batch of granola before baking. 

But, you shouldn't just pop your leftover egg whites in the fridge and call it a day. Egg whites will keep in the fridge for up to four days, according to The Incredible Egg. But, that puts an awful lot of faith in the chance that you'll bake or cook something egg white-worthy in the next few days. And, really, if you've just spent time making pasta and creme brulee from scratch, you need a break. No need to put yourself on a four-day egg white expiration deadline. The solution is to freeze your egg whites.

Eat This Not That says the best way to save leftover egg whites is in the freezer, using our humble kitchen hero, the ice cube tray. There's no fancy technique needed here: Just drop your egg whites into the tray, one white per compartment. Freeze the egg whites until solid, then pop them out of the tray and store them in a zip-top freezer bag. With your egg whites tucked safely away, you don't have to panic about them expiring before you can use them — they'll keep for up to one year in the freezer. Another perk to using the ice cube tray, rather than storing all of your egg whites in one container, is that you can thaw one, or as many whites as you need without having to thaw the whole batch. Plus, you'll know one cube equals exactly one egg white; no need to guesstimate for your recipes.

To make use of your reserved egg whites, take as many cubes as you need out of their storage bag and thaw them in the refrigerator overnight. Then, if you plan to whip the whites for something like meringues or a cake, The Spruce Eats advises to let them come to room temperature first by setting them on the counter for about 30 minutes. Thawed egg whites brought to room temperature will whip up to full volume, just like an egg white right out of the shell. Whipping egg whites into fluffy wonderland is the beginning of desserts like meringues. 

Egg whites can also be a good source of protein in your diet, should you be in the mood for something healthy, like an egg white omelette. No matter your egg whites' destiny, you can be sure they'll be properly reserved and ready when you need them with this simple freezing method.