Poached Eggs

This isn’t as much of a recipe, as it is a simple “how-to”, but I wanted to share what I’ve learned this year! I love poached eggs, but found them too intimidating to master, until quarantine life eliminated all my brunch opportunities. COVID be damned, I’m gonna still eat poached eggs!! They say that the fresher the eggs, the less watery the whites will be… but I know we don’t all have farms, and nobody wants to grocery shop in the morning before cooking breakfast– so don’t let that factor hold you back. It will be ok. Here’s what works for me:

**NOTE** If you really don’t want to deal with the watery whites of the egg spidering out, you can always crack your egg over a sieve/fine mesh strainer, to separate the watery whites from the coagulated white part. I don’t do this, but it’s something that does work to keep the eggs looking “neater”.

Now, let us begin. If you plan to poach several eggs simultaneously (I do 4 at a time), use a larger stock pot. Fill it with enough water to submerge the eggs, which is about halfway in the 2.5qt pot I use. Do not add salt, but do add a splash of vinegar. Set the stove to medium-low, and allow the water to heat up. You want it barely simmering, to where you see very fine bubbles coming up from the bottom of the pan. The water should be mostly still, though, so avoid aggressive bubbling. If it gets to that point, just turn the temperature down a smidge, and wait for it to calm.

While the water heats up, prepare your eggs. Crack each one into its own bowl, and strain them to separate out the runny whites if you choose. When the water has heated up, and is very lightly bubbling, add the eggs one at a time. It might worry you, at first, to see the egg spread. Press on, don’t touch the egg, and try to stay calm. Set a timer for 3 minutes, and allow the eggs to poach in their water bath, untouched.

You’ll know the eggs are done when the clear, runny egg whites have turned white and become firm. The yolk should jiggle, but you shouldn’t see any of the clear, raw egg white remaining. At this point, quickly and carefully remove each egg with a slotted spoon. Gently place on a paper towel to help drain the excess water. Serve immediately. I use my fingers to very gently pick up the eggs from the paper towel– I have broken one or two, but in general, they’re firm enough to sustain some gentle handling. If you prefer to avoid this step, and don’t mind a little excess water, you can just skip putting the eggs on a paper towel, and serve them straight from the water bath.

Your egg should look like this when it’s done! Jiggly yolk, firm whites.

And that’s it! It seems like a lot, I know, but I wanted to be as thorough as possible in my explanation. I’ve tried so many different techniques, from the “vortex” method to poaching cups, and this has become my tried and true. By far the easiest technique, and it has yet to fail me. If you’d like any additional pictures, or if you have any questions, please feel free to comment below! I’ll do my best to update the instructions to best suit your needs.

For a great Hollandaise Sauce recipe, click here.