Melissa Clark's Salt Trick To Perfectly Freeze Egg Yolks

You already know that freezing food is a wonderful way to extend its usefulness, portion out large Costco bulk buys, and create a frozen pantry of ready-to-use fruits, veggies, and meats. You may not realize that you can also freeze raw eggs! This is a great way to preserve them for later, especially if you're worried your eggs may be on the older side.

Before you go stuffing a carton of eggs in the freezer, you should know that freezing raw eggs in the shell can cause them to expand and crack. Instead, the key is to separate the egg whites from the yolks before freezing (you can freeze a whole egg in a sealable carton, it takes up more space and provides less flexibility for recipes). Once you've separated the eggs, the challenge in freezing is that the yolks can become gel-like and gummy when thawed. Fortunately, cookbook author and New York Times columnist Melissa Clark has a trick for achieving perfect frozen raw egg yolks: a little salt.

On their own, proteins in egg yolks cause them to morph into a sort of uniform gel when frozen and thawed, but as Melissa Clark writes in her New York Times column, the fix is simple. Sprinkle salt over the yolks before whisking. Salt helps freeze the components of yolks a little faster, and preserve their slightly variegated nature (that is, they'll be yolk-like when thawed, rather than uniformly gummy). 

You don't need much, perhaps a quarter or half teaspoon per egg, though a healthy sprinkle works well and isn't so salty. If you freeze your egg yolks in a bowl or similar container, the yolk will be difficult to remove, so wrap the container well to avoid freezer burn. As an alternative, Clark suggests freezing individual whites and yolks in ice cube trays. Once they're frozen, they pop out easily and you can drop them into freezer bags for future use.

Frozen eggs are best for about six months, after which the quality begins to deteriorate. Remember to wash your hands well any time you're working with raw eggs.

When it's time to use your frozen eggs, place them in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Because it's unsafe to leave eggs out for more than two hours, thawing on the countertop is not recommended, though you could place it in a warm water bath for faster thawing, if you're going to use them immediately. 

If you've blended together several yolks before freezing, about one tablespoon is roughly equal to one yolk, while two tablespoons of egg white works for the rest of the egg. This is where Melissa Clark's ice cube tray suggestion works well, allowing you to thaw only as much yolk as you need.

While frozen egg yolks may not work perfectly in a light and fluffy soufflé or creamy custard (where freshness and consistency are vital), they're great for recipes where the egg yolks are more about flavor than structure, like adding to fried rice or frying up in a scramble with some of your frozen then thawed egg whites. Just remember you've salted them, so reduce any added salt during cooking to compensate.