I never realized egg -cracking could be a stressful endeavor for adults until I recently watched my 42-year-old brother pause over his nonstick pan at a family breakfast , paralyzed in fear.

I always get the shell in the pan, he told me. What am I doing wrong?

I asked him to show me how he cracks his eggs. He gave it a couple slow, indecisive whacks on the edge of his skillet, and I immediately knew the answer.

If you dont want shell in your egg, crack your eggs on a flat countertop.