Eggs are best separated with the help of the shell, which cuts easily through the white.
Crack the egg at its broadest point by tapping it against a bowl or a sharp edge. With your two thumbs, break open the egg, letting some of the white slip over the edge of the shell into the bowl.
Tip the yolk from one half of the shell to the other, detaching the remaining white from the yolk.
To remove the white threads, nip them against the side of the eggshell with your fingertips.