There are many ways to poach an egg. Most work pretty well! If you’re anything like me, you’re looking for a soft runny yolk, and an egg that has a nice, uniform shape. Let’s talk about the fundamentals of egg poaching so you can achieve perfectly poached eggs simply and reliably.
What actually is poaching?
The term Poaching means to gently cook in simmering liquid. Poached eggs generally refers to eggs poached in water, although you can also poach eggs in a flavourful broth or sauce. For the purposes of this article we’re covering straight up eggs poached in water.
How to poach an egg
As I said in the intro, there are numerous ways to poach an egg. This is the method I use because it is super easy and gives consistent results.
- Fill a small pot with 1.5-2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
- Add a splash of any kind of vinegar. I usually use apple cider or red wine vinegar because I always have them on hand.
- Crack an egg into a small bowl, then gently lower the egg into the boiling water. Repeat for as many eggs as you are want to poach.
- Cover the pot with a lid, turn off the heat, and allow the egg(s) to cook in the hot water for 3 minutes. If you prefer a firmer yolk, leave the egg(s) in for another minute or two.
- Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a piece of paper towel or a slice of stale bread (hot tip!)
Temperature is key!
Egg temperature
Keeping your eggs cold until right before they get the dunk is also very helpful for the same reason. If you want perfectly poached eggs, make sure they’re fresh and cold.
Water temperature
Some argue that eggs poached at a higher temperature yield a tougher white. While that might be true, I don’t think it’s something you’d ever notice unless you tasted them side by side. I mean, who are you trying to impress?
When the egg drops, the water temperature needs be close to boiling because the movement of the water helps to coerce that egg into a beautiful little package. If the heat is too low, the egg will sink to the bottom and become kinda flat. If the water is boiling too much, the egg will be blasted apart by the aggressively boiling water. That’s no good either.
The sweet spot for egg poaching is right below the boil. You want movement in the water, but not an aggressive boil. Once the outer layer of the egg coagulates and forms its shape, the water temperature can drop down so the egg can continue cooking gently. That’s why the method I outline above works so well!
The importance of egg freshness
The fresher the egg, the better the poach. Fresh eggs have nice gelatinous whites, making them hold together much better in the hot water. As an egg ages, the whites become thin and watery, which leads to a less than perfect poached egg. In a perfect world, we would always use the freshest eggs, and there would be no watery whites to deal with, but let’s be real. Most of the eggs we are buying are at least a week or two old by the time we get poaching, and that’s ok! Which leads me to the next item on the agenda—the use of vinegar.
The vinegar debate
Vinegar helps coagulate the protein in the egg white, playing a crucial role in keeping the egg in one piece. If you don’t use vinegar, the watery parts of the white will get all wispy like tiny floating shards. In cooking school and in any brunch shift I’ve ever worked, adding vinegar to the poaching water was a non-negotiable.
In recent years, many chefs and egg poaching aficionados have been shunning the use of vinegar in the poaching liquid, saying that vinegar makes the whites tough and leaves a vinegary flavor on the eggs. Instead, they place the raw eggs one at a time into a small strainer, and allow the watery part of the egg white to pass through the strainer. They discard the loose whites, and put only the firm white and yolk into the pot.
This method is a bit too much work for me, and it also feels a bit wasteful. There’s nothing wrong with the watery white, it just indicates that the egg is a little less than farm fresh. No biggie.
All that being said, using the strainer method will produce the best poach. So, if you want the most perfect eggs, and you have a personal assistant to wash all your dishes, strain your heart out.
How to lower the eggs into the water
If you’re new to egg poaching, you might want to crack your egg into a small bowl before lowering it gently into the water.
Once you start poaching on a regular basis, you’ll start to be comfortable enough to just crack them straight in. If you’re using the strainer method, the best option is to lower them in right from the strainer. No matter what method you use, you’ll want to get the egg as close as you can to the water. If you drop the eggs from a height you will risk breaking your precious yolk.
And as far as removing them from the water goes, a slotted spoon is your best utensil for the job. Gently lift them out and transfer eggs onto a bit of paper towel to soak up any water.
Perfectly poached eggs for a crowd
If you’re doing an eggs benny banquet, you can pre-poach your eggs. Simply cook eggs until they are perfectly done or slightly underdone. At this stage you can keep them in an ice water bath for up to a few days. Then, when you’re ready, lift them out of the ice bath and warm them up in simmering water for 45 seconds or so.
This is kind of annoying and I try to avoid it whenever possible. That’s what breakfast casseroles are for, people!
Common poached egg questions
I’m a runny yolk gal, so I tend to set my egg timer for 3 minutes once the eggs hit the water. However, eggs are about the most eater-specific food I can think of. So, if you like them firmer, leave them in for longer. That’s all there is to it!
There is no need to put salt in the water. Save the salt for the end, and make sure its of the crunchy variety.
Yes! You can poach eggs in advance and store them in cold water in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. To reheat, simply place them in hot (not boiling) water for about 30-45 seconds.
While there are special egg poaching pans and silicone pods available, you only need a regular saucepan and a slotted spoon to make great poached eggs. The key is technique rather than special equipment.
Straining the loose white through a fine-mesh sieve before poaching can give you a neater-looking egg. It is not necessary though, and I don’t bother doing it because it’s a pain!
Gently lift the egg with a slotted spoon and give it a gentle poke. The white should be completely set with no translucent areas. The yolk should still feel soft and jiggly if you want it runny.
Because poached eggs are cooked in water, some water will naturally cling to the outside of the egg after it’s cooked. And in some cases, water will get trapped inside a pocket of cooked white while cooking. To fix this, it’s important to drain your poached eggs on a piece of paper towel or a hunk of stale bread before serving. Touch the top of the egg and you should be able to tell if there is a water pocket, which you can just poke with a paring knife and allow the water to drain out of.
If your water isn’t hot enough, the egg will sink to the bottom of the pan before it has a chance to form its outer skin. It’s best to lower the egg in when the water is simmering, or almost boiling, to form that nice round shape instead of floating (and sometimes sticking) to the bottom of the pot.
Ask 5 cooks and you’ll get 5 different answers, but my simple answer is no. I don’t feel that the vortex method is practical, especially when you are poaching more than one egg.
How to serve poached eggs
Now to the eating part! I can’t think of anything that isn’t improved with the addition of a poached egg. Throw one onto your breakfast hash, a hearty salad, a bowl of soup, a plate of risotto, or a springy pasta dish.
Recently I’ve been loving making Turkish-style eggs: Garlicky herby strained yogurt, chili spiced, foamy butter, and perfectly poached eggs. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper, grab a chunk of bread and get into it.
Enjoy!!
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