Life on the Sunny Side

Savvy ways to avoid wasting those leftover egg yolks

What to do with spare egg yolks? They have plenty of uses - but if you don’t plan to use your leftover egg yolks right away, they don’t freeze well and can dry out after a day in the fridge. Mix the yolk with a bit of water (you can keep the yolks whole in the water if you carefully remove them whole when ready to use), and put into a covered container in the fridge. This way, they’ll keep for two to three days. Here are some smart ideas:

■ Power up a smoothie. Eggs add protein, omega-3s and other nutrients as they thicken smoothies and shakes with a creamy texture. Blogger Cara Comini adds two to three egg yolks to her fruit milkshake recipes to make “the smoothie taste like real ice-cream”.

■ Indulge in Alfredo sauce. This classic Italian dish isn’t viewed as the healthiest, but it’s fine to enjoy on special occasions. A cheesy, creamy Fettuccine Alfredo (recipe on Italianchef.com) will use up two leftover egg yolks.

■ Top dishes with Hollandaise sauce. You’ve probably had this rich, thick yellow sauce over Eggs Benedict at brunch, but it’s versatile enough to use in other dishes. Drizzle homemade Hollandaise over steamed asparagus, or spoon some on top of grilled salmon.

■ Egg yolks can also be used as “food” for your skin and hair. They make a wonderful skin-mask ingredient because their vitamin A may help repair skin and reduce acne. Your mask can moisturise if you add almond oil, avocado and clay, or tone if you add witch hazel.

■ To moisturise your hair, beat 6-7 yolks until creamy, and apply to clean, damp hair. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes, then rinse with cool water. You can use this deep conditioning treatment about once a month.