The Best Way to Separate Egg Whites From the Yolks — in a Jaw-Dropping Viral Video

Everyone knows you can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs — but what about soufflé?

Or the hollandaise sauce for the perfect eggs Benedict?

Or the pancakes from Clinton Street Baking Company — arguably the best in the world?

Like the humble omelet, the journey of a thousand complicated recipes begins with a simple step: cracking an egg. Over. Easy.

But next, you have to separate the egg whites from the yolks. And that's where things tend to fall apart.

A single speck of yolk in your whites is enough to make the most formidable soufflé fall like a house of cards.

But one 31-second video has a simple solution — and all you need is a paper plate and an empty water bottle.

If your mouth, like ours, is hanging open, fill it with something good — something that needs a separated egg to make, like this pavlova.

Or this mont blanc.

Or this cheese soufflé.

Knowing that culinary elegance is just an empty water bottle away is enough to make anyone more confident in the kitchen. So grab some eggs and get cracking.

April 8, 2016, 2:08 p.m. Eastern: This story has been updated.