Q: Can you freeze egg yolks and use them later?

You can freeze egg yolks, but they will get gummy if you freeze them as they are. You need to beat in 1/8 teaspoon salt or 11/2 teaspoons sugar or corn syrup for every four yolks.

Decide in advance what you're going to use them for - sugar for baking or sweet dishes, salt for savories - and make sure you label them accordingly. Then you can freeze them for up to three months.

Egg whites can be frozen as they are. To help measure them, put each one in a cell of a plastic ice cube tray, then pop them out when they're frozen and store them in a freezer-safe container. Thaw either yolks or whites in the refrigerator.

Kathleen Purvis answers food questions at www.charlotteobserver.com/food.