Mari-Lee Scott from Phonenix writes, “Sorry to bother you with this, Penelope, but I need help.”

Please M-L, don’t apologize! At this early stage in my internet presence, I have almost as much chance of winning the Iowa Caucuses as getting a posting.

“Okay, I can never seem to crack an egg cleanly into a bowl.”

This isn’t a small issue. If bakers everywhere weren’t sick of sliding shell specks out of their egg mixtures there wouldn’t be so many different solutions out there. One is to crack the egg on the counter and then open it into the bowl. But that causes a lot of cracks, each of which is a potential shell pest. Another is to crack the egg on the side of the bowl. But again, there’s the potential for shell bits slipping down into the general yolk population.

The best method I’ve heard about is to hold the egg in one hand, crack it with a fork, open the shell and slide the contents down the side of the bowl. I suggest using a knife, though. It makes a cleaner crack. Also, finessing the sliding is very important. Although after a dozen attempts at cracking, opening and sliding you realize that like children or dinner dates, every egg behaves differently.