Melissa Clark's Easy Hack To Perfectly Freeze Egg Yolks

When it comes to cooking there are endless tips and tricks out there. Amid all the needlessly complicated hacks and questionable TikTok recipes, it can be refreshing to get advice from people who specialize in the food industry. One great resource for this is food writer Melissa Clark's column in The New York Times. Here, Clark shares techniques and recipes gathered throughout her career. And, with over 40 cookbooks under her belt and multiple appearances as a judge on cooking shows, it's clear that Clark knows her stuff. So, when she shared her best freezer tips, we paid attention. These tips are ideal to refer to when food storage is on your mind, specifically when it comes to eggs.

You might be scratching your head because freezing eggs doesn't exactly seem like a well-known practice. Typically, raw eggs are kept in the fridge, but once the eggs are removed from their shells, they're only good to eat for 2-4 days. However, if you want to freeze egg yolks instead of using them immediately, Clark has an expert tip for this: add salt before putting them in the freezer.

One of the best things about this Melissa Clark tip is that it's super quick and easy, but it also serves an important function when preserving your eggs. Before popping your egg yolks into the freezer, add a dash of salt to each yolk and give it a quick stir. The salt ensures the yolks will keep their consistency once thawed. Without salt, they can turn into a gel, making them hard to work with.

Clark also recommends pouring the raw egg yolks into individual containers like a spare ice cube tray – they'll fit perfectly and stay formed until you're ready to use them. You can also store egg whites this way, too. Eggs can be kept in the freezer for up to a year before they need to be used. So, if you have spare eggs and you don't want them to go to waste, try freezing them, and set yourself up for another day of baking in the future.