... but no matter what I do, it always seems that a bit of the shell ends up in the frying pan, or the egg splatters all over the place when I try to crack the shell.

How do you crack the shell of an egg and open it without it going all over the place? Thanks.

Lots of practice my friend

Try this:

Holding the egg in one hand with the fingertips.
Using a small bowl, rap the egg hard enough to make 1/4 of inch "slice" in the shell with the edge of the bowl. Then tip the slice to the side and slide both thumbs into the crack and peel open that way. Put the egg inside the bowl so you can fish out any shell that may get in the way.

It does take a bit of practice. I have yet to master the one handed egg crack. I end up with it all over the place when I try to get "fancy".

If a piece of the shell falls into the bowl, use part of the shell to fish out the piece. Trying to use a spoon or your fingers never seems to work as the egg white is slippery.

Hi.

You need a fairly sharp edge to the bowl or cup you use to crack the shell, a wide rounded edge will not give you the clean cut you need and you'll end up with flakes of shell.

Also dont drop the egg in the pan, lower your hand and place it there gently. When you see chefs go all dramatic with their arms, one handedly breaking the shell, they are dropping the egg in the pan from the lowest point in their swings.

One skill I have learned on this WOE is how to make an omelette!! Previously all my omelettes turned into scrambled eggs as they wouldnt crisp up and fold over properly. Its all that practice!!

Joy

I guess everyone has a different technique

Mine isn't tappin it against the bowl or counter, since that causes me shell problems but mostly causes the white to drip on my counter which annoys the anti-germ part of me.

So I just hold an egg in each hand, hold over the bowl and hit one of the eggs against the other one moderate time. It always creates one seam that I use to gently seperate the halves and drop out the goods.

I think the key was whoever said time and patience

Btw, always loved fried eggs till LC. I usta always use bread to "sop up the stuff", now I found I don't like the texture of the egg fried alone. However, loooooooooove scrambled eggs w/cream beat in, creates a very moist, delicious egg. (Which I eat with either hot sauce or pickled jalepenos on top yumm)

What I do, and it just goes to show people do things different. I put a paper towel down on the counter, and crack the egg against the counter. For me, this creates a crack I can put my thumbs in and open. I've tried the bowl edge method and my mother uses that method, but the counter works for me, and the paper towel gives me somewhere to put the egg shell. This way, I can wrap up both egg shells in the paper towel and throw them out without getting slimy eggwhite on me or my floor. (You do usually need to wipe the counter)

Fried eggs is good! For the best clean break method, search the web on Altavista or something.
<P>I think I learnt how to do it -even single handed- to show off when we're out camping. Its the thumb work.
<P>And use free range or market eggs. Supermarket eggs are like what the kids heat up at MacDonalds.

..and I do like sqidgey's animated avatar!

I just use the edge of a spoon.....hold the egg in my hand, whack it with the sharp edge of the spoon - that splits it you grab each side and pull it open and the egg falls out. Just another of many ways to do this

Naaa. Got to be an eating knife for a good, clean, thumb nail sized cavity to get hold of and have a shellless egg.

I hold the egg in the palm of my hand, gently cupping it to reinforce the back so it won't have chance to crumble on me, then give the side a good clean blow with the sharp side of a normal eating knife, ease apart with thumbs and place it in the pan, don't throw/drop it.

Also, don't have your choosen grease stuff too hot or it will splatter and give you nasty edges, I find a nice slow cooked egg is far more appertising.

In the mornings when I get the kids ready for school I don't have much time for me (sob sob) I drop two eggs and a dollop of butter in to a pyrex dish and whisk them with a fork and microwave them for 1.5 minutes on high, the whisk it again and go on for another 1.5 minutes, fially whisk again and serve a really clean scrambled egg with no pan to clean up, (pyrex is a doddle to clean egg off).