how to poach an egg, smitten kitchen-style
I am tortured by two opposing forces in my life: the fact that I love poached eggs–on anything and everything, from asparagus to slow-roasted slices of tomato, crisped cups of Canadian bacon, black bread, I could keep going… — and the fact that I’m terrible at making them.
And this is why it is so ridiculous amusing that I am giving you–or at least the eleven of you that said you were afraid of poaching eggs–a poached egg tutorial today. And by “today” I mean two days because it took me two tries to even get one worth photographing (though in my defense, holding the camera in your right hand while lowering an egg into a pot with your left does have a certain inevitability of disaster).
Obviously, this makes me sort of expert, so let’s get started!
How to Poach an Egg
There are about as many methods to poaching eggs as there are eggs on this earth, from plastic wrap (sorry, ew) to poaching cups to cupcake liners seriously, I’ve lost track but I am sure that people will be eager to share their own in the comments. This is simply the one that works for me. When I’m not holding a camera in my other hand.
First, heat a pot with a few inches of water in it.
Put a splash of vinegar in the water. This helps tighten up the egg. I know there are strong pro- and anti-vinegar in egg-poaching waters out there, but like I said: this is just what works for me!
Now here is the first of the two Very Most Important Things I Will Tell You About Poaching Eggs: You don’t want boiling water. You don’t want simmering water. You want very hot water at the point right before it simmers, like you see here. Once it gets there, turn the temperature down a bit so it doesn’t bubble. If your water has already begun boiling, bring the temperature down to below the boiling point. See, that’s not so hard?
Break an egg into a small dish. It is always easier to slide the egg in from a dish. I’ve tried it the other way a million times and it never comes together as well in the pot.
Make a whirlpool with your spoon, spatula, whatever you’re using.
Slide the egg into the middle of the whirlpool with your other hand. See how much easier this is when you’ve already put the egg in a dish?
Now here is the second of the two Very Most Important Things I Will Tell You About Poaching Eggs: Don’t panic. Seriously, it’s going to look a little chaotic in there for a moment. You’ll probably have a little white fly off that you had wanted to keep attached to the egg. Breathe. It’s okay. It will still work out.
The reason for the whirlpool is that it really helps the egg stay together, wrapping the white around the yolk. However, you can help it along too with your spatula or spoon by gently pushing it all in as it initially sets. If your egg has stuck to the bottom of the pot, just slide the spatula very very gently underneath after 30 seconds or so of cooking.
A few minutes later, your mostly-perfect egg should be ready. (I look for an egg that wobbles, but just a little, when nudged with the spoon, about 3 to 4 minutes of cooking time.) Scoop it out with a slotted spoon.
And let it drain on a folded paper towel. Now let’s say you’re having company and you’ve been insane enough to think you want to poach eggs for all of them. The cool thing is, at this point you can save them for a little later. To reheat them, put them back in hot (but not boiling) water for a minute.
Prepare your toast. I’m a big fan of cutting my second slice into fingers. I’ll show you why in a moment.
With the egg on top, the fun begins!
I like to make a little slice and let it roll on out.
Then I salt and pepper it.
And now you see why I like those fingers of bread. They keep the yolk from going everywhere. They make your poached-egg-on-toast a hands-free device.
Well, almost. Once I’m done torturing my egg with toast sticks, I can never resist a final smash pulling everything together: egg, toast, butter, salt and pepper, gah. Seriously, I want another one just looking at it now.
there’s nothing like a good poached egg.
I’m about to make your Swiss buttercream and am terrified. I’m just going to go for it.
Thanks for the step by step. It seems like something everyone should know how to do (like checking the air in our tires) but secretly we don’t know how ;) guilty…
yum! and just in time for the weekend too! I’ll be impressing the bf with my skills later :o)
thankfully I’ve also recently given up my fear of making any type of eggs other than scrambled. Over-easy was last week, now poached. thanks deb!
That’s exactly how I enjoy a poached egg…all smashed up with the butter, salt,pepper,and toast!
Well, now all mystery has been removed from my Saturday morning breakfast. Poached eggs on toast here we come!
My grandmother used to make these for me all the time! She’s poached them in rotel, too, and that’s how she makes Huevos Rancheros. My boyfriend and I tried your version last night (breakfast for dinner - YUM!), and we loved it! But the egg gave me trouble :(
YUMMM. I love poached eggs as well. In fact, I think I have to go make one now after reading this.
P.S. Love your blog and its beautiful photography!
Poached eggs are one of my most favorite things! There’s a great bakery here in San Francisco called Arizmendi that sells the best bread. Together with a poached egg and fresh fruit from the market, it makes the perfect Saturday morning breakfast. Thanks for the tips!
I too love poached eggs but have a fear of cooking them at home! These were great tips — I’m going to try them this weekend. We have lots of eggs now that our chickens are finally laying!
That looks incredible…but I think I’ll save my poached egg eating for the restaurant; sitting on an English muffin and a slice of ham, drenched in hollandaise sauce. *Droooool*
I absolutely love poached eggs too. I find that I don’t necessarily care how pretty they are, as long as the whites are set and the yolks aren’t.
I’m afraid I take the cheater way out and use a fancy poaching pan. The pluses are that you get perfect little eggs each time and you can do four at once. Doesn’t seem to take more time, though a few more dishes.
ewwww - runny yolks. I feel queasy just looking at them.
Other than that, it’s a great tutorial.
Has anyone ever tried the Julia Child method (described here of cooking it in the shell for a little while first? It seemed like the answer to all my poaching problems but haven’t gotten around to trying it yet.
I wish I knew how to do this before I went out and spent way too much on an egg-poacher! Thanks for the tutorial - I’ll use it on our vacation instead of hauling that pan with me. :)
Thanks! This came across my feedreader just as I was trying to decide what to have for supper. Poached eggs it was! My first time making them, too!
Yum - I love poached eggs. I gave in and bought the silicon poaching cups recently, but since I have really grease them up for the eggs to slide out I’m beginning to think they are more trouble than they’re worth…
That picture is delicious! I may have to go home and have breakfast for dinner. I am a lazy poached egg lover, so I gave in and bought a egg poaching pan. Akkk! A one use item in an apartment sized kitchen, but soooo worth it. I am in awe of your poaching skills.
This may be hilarious only to me, but those last five pictures are the most sexed up pictures of eggs I’ve ever seen - well maybe not the mashing one at the very end - but the “toast finger” - my oh my!
What I REALLY wanted to say is that I made that swiss buttercream frosting for my son’s birthday cakes and it was amazing - and beautiful! And the cakes tasted…well they were pretty at least…and I seem to have the special talent of turning every cake recipe into a super dense pound cake…but they were pretty!
I also love poached eggs.
Another way that works for me is to break the egg into a small dish (such as you did), add a tiny dab of butter and microwave it for a minute or two (depends on the microwave oven.) Use less than full power, may 50-60%. The user guide recommend piercing the egg to prevent explosions before cooking, but I’ve never done that.
The egg stays nicely shaped in the small dish/bowl; works great for me. The egg slides out nicely, so I can re-use the dish immediately.
I think it might work with just a bit of H2O instead of butter.
Oh yum. One of my favorite breakfasts is a soft boiled egg on toast, I’ve never tried poached because I was scared. I’m gonna now though.
I know what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow!
I use almost the same method, but with a 12″ nonstick skillet and no swirling, with about 2″ of water. Cooking time is the same, and lift them out with a slotted spatula. I find the eggs stay together better, and I can make four all at once, enough for Eggs Benedict for two!
I love poached eggs, and I make mine the same way you do! The only step I sometimes add (if the eggs are older, mostly), is dropping the whole egg (pre-crack) into the hot water for 10 seconds or so. Then take them out, crack into ramekin, continue. Julia says it helps set the whites, and I buy it.
Favorite way to eat them - on whole wheat cousous, with lots of broccoli and peas. It’s the perfect well rounded lunch. I place the eggs gingerly on top (pretty!), and then massacre them with a fork to let the yolk dress the warm couscous salad.
Yummy.
My dad used to make these for me all the time.
This tutorial was so insanely helpful! I love poached eggs, but I’ve never tried to make them at home. The photos make all the difference instead of just reading instructions. Thank you so much!
Can you only poach eggs one at a time? Would it work to poach side by side in the same pan, or do you find it too complicated trying to keep them separated? Thanks for a very educational post and beautiful pictures. I’m going to try your toast fingers idea for breakfast tomorrow; it seems ingenious!
That looks good. I might actually have to try it.
I took a food science course in NYC this summer and we learned that acid (found in vinegar) helps make poached eggs by speeding the denaturation of egg proteins, while also preventing them from over-coagulating and becoming overly dry. After learning this in class I raced home to try making poached eggs (my favorite) and failed, once again, miserably. Your eggs look marvelous and I look forward to employing you technique this weekend.
This is exactly how my mom taught me to make poached eggs and it has never failed me. I’m glad you’re getting the word out.
Ok, I love poached eggs, too, and have tried every method. I finally gave up and started making “basted” eggs instead. Melt some butter in a medium-low to low skillet as if you were going to fry the eggs. Add as many eggs as you need, then throw in a couple/few ice cubes, cover the pan with a lid and let it steam until the eggs are firm enough to your liking. EASY! No fussing, no tending to, no flipping, no draining. A much preferred methodology, IMHO…
i use the same method, taught to me by my oma. my favorite way to eat them is over toasted french bread, with a smear of goat cheese, a scoop of orangette’s warm french lentil salad and a nonperfect poached egg on top. sounds so gourmet but was really born out of leftovers in the fridge.
The fresher the egg the better the white stays together in the water. (It’s the opposite for hard boiled eggs— older eggs will peel more easily.) That’s been my experience, anyways!
I happen to love the vinegar taste with the egg. I use a lot. This is the exact method I use without the swirl. I have to have them right at the point of being set though. Blasphemy, I know.
Oh. OH! That is torture. Torture!
Ohh…you see, this really isn’t fair to post in front of pregnant ladies! No soft eggs, no sushi…have a heart! :o) Looks scrumptious, though. Great job taking pictures WHILE cooking!
yummmmmmmm.
runny egg is the best.
Deb — I’m thrilled you’ve posted on a subject dear to my heart. Your instructions, as always are clear and precise. The pictures, sigh, wonderful. Reading all the other posts and reader’s suggestions — great!
My 2-cents: Almost exactly as yours. Warm cold eggs in very hot water. I put then in tea cups and use tap water. Then I crack into a 1/3 cup measuring cup to give me easy control to slip into the pan of hot (NOT boiling) water. I use a deep teflan pan. BUT, I just gently slip the egg into the pan. No swirling, no trying to cover the yolk. Let the egg sit there. The watery albumin will float away. (That’s why you’ll want a non-stick pan.) After three minutes gently turn over using spatula or slotted spoon. Leave for another minute. Scoop out, and check the doneness. I just look or gently poke. If not done to your likeness slip back into the hot water. When done scoop out and put on paper towel to dry off. All like Deb does. Now, here’s the difference. You’ll have an ovoid egg. Very pretty, in my opinion. Personally, I don’t like that watery, thin albumin. So, I’m happy with my method. Like someone else said, keep trying ’til you come up with a method that works for you. I love Deb’s method and I’m curious to try some of the other suggestions. As always — Thanks Deb!
Do you know if the type of vinegar matters? Would, say, apple cider vinegar work, or taste good?
I would experiment, but frankly I don’t like eggs that much and I really don’t like poached eggs. I think it’s the consistency that weirds me out…
thank you thank you thank you for this. no seriously, thank you.
I cannot thank you enough for the post. I love — LOVE — poached eggs. You, it seems, understand. But they never, ever turn out right. I’ve tried vinegar, lemon juice, various temperatures and cooking times — this seems like a sure fire way. Have no doubt I will test this shortly and report back. Probably tomorrow night in fact. If I can wait that long…
Poached eggs are the perfect weekend breakfast. Thanks for this entry, the picture alone motivated me to close the laptop and go make myself some :)
I love this post, it made me laugh! I tend to cheat though, poaching my eggs in an “egg-poacher”, specifically designed for the job (a.k.a. a saucepan which steams eggs). Takes the stress out of the situation!
I’ve never tried to poach an egg before, but it looks so divine perched on top of that toast that I’m going to have to give it a shot!
Well, this one isn’t for me. Hate soft runny eggs and the thought of “dipping” gives me chills. Sorry. Not my kind of egg.
I have tried the cling film trick and failed miserably. I have a pretty little French egg poacher thingie that never quite works. If you can do this one-handed with a camera, I’ve got to be able to manage it. Thanks for inspiration to give it another go!
Yum! I’m just like you — if it’s got a poached egg on it, I’m there. Asparagus, toast, Canadian bacon, shoelaces — top it with a poached egg and I’m in. I actually never do the whirlpool thing — I just slide the egg right in there, and it always comes out fine. Definitely pro-vinegar though, it makes all the difference. Also, when making more than one at a tine, I start at the top of the pan and move around clockwise, so I know which egg is done first, so no one gets overdone. Anyway - great step-by-step! Thanks!
If you like your poach smashed on toast, you probably like Egg in the Hole, sometimes called Egg in the Basket! I.e. take a piece of toast, take a circle out of the center using an upside down small cup to punch it out (i keep that part and toast it like your toast sticks; it’s the best) and then drop it in a pan to toast quickly on low heat before cracking a whole egg in the center, to be softly cooked to perfection, flip the whole shebang and then a little more time… done! My nanny used to make it for me all the time. there are some tricks/best practices though, just like poaching. yummmmmm.
One more thing that helps keep the egg together in the pot: use the absolute freshest eggs possible. I once bought eggs that had been “under the chicken last night” and poached them the night I bought them–they turned out so beautiful! They lose their natural plumpness the older they get.
I really like your blogstyle. keep it coming. My father who was also a devoted poacher liked to flavor trhe water with a few drops of virgin olive oil and sprinkle a little fresh chopped parsley. This was on Sunday mornings after shooting our lunch on our neighbors farm of course.
Yum, I had one prepared this way myself, just this morning.
My mother used to break the second piece of toast into bits and sprinkle them in the broken top of the egg. She called these “birdies in the nest” for us as children, just to get us to eat the eggs.
thanks for posting this. I love poached eggs but I always screw them up too! I think for breakfast I’m going to poach up an egg - you’ve just made it look so irresistible!
I love poached eggs too, but can’t cook them well either. I usually torture my family by ordering them when out to eat breakfast. They hate it because it delays everyone else’s meal. They are just so good! The swirl might be the key. I’ve never done it. If I can make it at home won’t have to order them out. Must try this for the family’s sake. yum.
You know, I actually find poaching easier when I do not swirl the water. I just ploop the egg in and then nudge the whites together. But, regardless, great tutorial as ever Deb.
I’ve used apple cider and rice vinegars (unseasoned). Both work fine; you don’t use too much.
I’ve also used newspaper to drain. Also works fine, although you want to keep the eggs off colored pictures and avoid leaving them on the print too long! You get words on your eggs.
I’m trying the swirl next time, although I usually don’t do that since I poach 4 eggs at once.
I’m so excited– I was one of the 11! Thank you SO MUCH. I thought the water was supposed to be really boiling… and didn’t crack the egg into a cup first… I’m off to try this right now!
It seems like one either is or isn’t the runny-egg type. I am definitely in the runny yolk corner. Poached (or basted) eggs are incredibly delicious with a scoop of firm-ish grits on the side (another thing for which you either have a taste or not). Or good, crisp hash browns. I don’t find the swirling to be necessary; I just sort of push-fold in the whites that escape. A nonstick skillet helps a little with the sticking on the bottom, but they still seem to stick a little. Next time I’ll try the not-quite-boiling water thing and that might do the trick. Thanks for making me hungry again!
P.S. I have seen “chefs” on television cut off the ragged edges with scissors. That is just a little to anal for me. Who says food isn’t pretty in its natural shapes?
I do mine the same way but after many years of doing it the wrong way, great post and fab photos. Nothing better than a runny egg:)
Hi Deb,
Thanks for reminding me how much I love poached eggs…I always order scrambled when out…tomorrow morning I’ll give your style a try…at home!
Jen
I did it, I did it! Bless you and your tutorial. :D Mine aren’t as pretty as yours, but I DID IT.
Oh!!! I just tried this method for the first time for my last post - it worked an absolute treat!
I love poached eggs :D
I just realized that I forgot to add one of the most important tips! That is, what to do if you’ve tried everything, even this, and it’s just not working for you and you’re ready to retire your firm-whites, runny-yolk dreams for life. Before you throw in the towel, please consider the Three Minute Egg. I eat these too, all of the time. I simply bring water to a boil with an egg (or three, in the case of Alex and my breakfast today), and once it boils set the timer for exactly three minutes. Not a second over! Run it under cold water, carefully peel the egg and voila. Perfection on toast. The next best thing to poached, if I do say so myself.
Poached eggs are one of the few foods I cook in a nonstick skillet. I do the same vinegar thing, but not the whirlpool as I like to poach more than one at a time. Instead, I salt the water first (which also helps coagulate the proteins in the whites) and then drizzle the vinegar in just exactly where I’m about to put the egg to keep the vinegar from becoming overwhelming. I put them in clockwise and set the egg timer which is 3 minutes, then take them out in the same order they went in unless someone requests a less runny egg, and then I leave the first for last. This has NEVER failed.
oh, and I forgot, it helps if the eggs are at room temp when you start.
Thanks for the post. I do something a little different. As with an earlier commenter, I use a deep skillet, so I can poach multiple eggs at once. Then I crack each egg into a mesh sieve and let the “loose” white flow off, before pouring into a ramekin. I ignore the swirling, just gently pour each egg into the pan and let them go. The sieve step results in less fly-away whites and thus firmer poached eggs.
I’ve never used vinegar, may have to give it a shot too
Count me among the poached egg obsessed! I tried all the tricks for the perfect poached egg with some success, but a friend of mine sent me my favorite new kitchen gadget for my b-day. B/c she knows my unnatural love of poached eggs. They sell these little teflon cups that you crack your egg in with salt and pepper and then simply float them in a couple inches of boiling water. Put the lid on the pan for 5 minutes and you get perfect eggs every time and no messy pan to clean up either. Yum Yum. I had some on some spring greens, with bacon and a garden tomato today.! Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed.
Your photos are making me so hungry! I love poached eggs, too, and I use pretty much the same prep method as you. Since learning the whirlpool technique, I feel like the odds are 50/50 that it will be pretty enough to photograph, but the results are always perfectly cooked, even if they are sometimes a little ugly. My only complaint about the process is that you have to do one egg at a time. Fine for me and my boyfriend, not so great if we have company for brunch. I will admit to having, ahem, 4 whirlpooling pans going at once the last time I had people fro brunch, in an attempt to serve everyone at somewhere near the same time. I do not recommend this approach!
I am a fan of the plastic wrap, I just can’t get them to come together any other way. You do have to make sure to use microwave safe plastic wrap though.
I like poached eggs on toast thats been smothered in cheez wiz. The plasticky super salty cheez wiz is the perfect complement to the bland poached egg and it all comes together as one incredibly tasty breakfast. Or lunch, or dinner, or snack.
I’ve always wondered how to poach an egg? Not that I am going to start….going out to brunch is still my preference! But you’re right, that sure looks good!
perfect. over asparagus tips with bacon….goooooooood night. or, good morning.
Although I do love poached eggs - and they have a lot of sentimental value. My “close” substitute is a pair of over-light to over-easy fried eggs (white cooked, but yolk all the way juicy) served on toast. Then I cut the toast in a star formation - cut it into 4 squares, then cut diagonals. You get a little bit of yolk on nearly every piece.
I saw this and started to laugh… poached eggs are one of my favorite Sunday morning meals when I was a kid. I used to make breakfast in the morning when I lived at home and to be honest I really had no one to show me beside “Betty, Betty Crocker that is” how to properly poach an egg. I never fussed I just broke the little eggies in to the boiling water and with in minutes poached fat free eggs. I am intrigued about the whole vinegar thing and may have to give that a try. I am thinking of Poached Eggs and Wheat toast for breakfast in the morning now.
I’ve tried various methods (the swirl one works pretty well, though I still have how I can only make a couple eggs worth until I have to change the water because it’s so cloudy), but I’ve become an advocate of the cling wrap method as of late. It was this site that got me interested: http://www.b3ta.com/features/howtopoachanegg/
We have always called the toast sticks little soldiers. My kids grew up on soft boiled eggs, dipping in the little soldiers.
Your method is fine, in fact the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco uses the same technique. I find it easier to use some round cookie forms which I place in a shallow
pan of boiling water and break the eggs into those effective constraints. They come out perfectly every time.
ooooohhh…. that last picture is enough to make me not wanna be vegan anymore (almost).
I used to eat eggs with soldiers ALL the time, they’re the best! But with soft-boiled eggs. I s’pose I’ll never have a poached… but they sure are cool-looking.
I adore eggs (and oozing yolks!) - but don’t remember ever poaching one. I will definitely give this a try. Thanks!
I used to be afraid of poaching eggs, too, until I saw this exact procedure demonstrated by Martha Stewart–worked like a charm for me. I like how the eggs, which always strike me as somewhat ghostly with those tendrils of white, rise to the top of the water when they’re ready. Martha mentioned snipping off the excess bits of white with kitchen shears to clean up the appearance of the eggs after they’re removed from the pot, but I haven’t found that to be necessary.
Yum. I had never made a poached egg either, but your tutorial prompted me to try. It turned out fabulous!
As requested my Mother bought my Father a special pan for poaching eggs, it has a tray of plastic cups to put the eggs in. Very handy gadget, makes egg poaching a snap, I like to break the yoke and mix the egg with a bit of cheese. However, I don’t ever recall my Father using said device more then once :-)
OMG……..This is torture to look at, especially if it is a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning and you haven’t eaten anything yet! Thanks also for the tip about swirling the eggs. I’ve never done that before, and it makes perfect sense.
“Doc”
And all this time I thought I was doing it right and I wasn’t. I never did the whirlpool thing before adding the egg. I will try that for sure. Thanks for sharing!
I am a simple girl. I boil water in a shallow pan. Drop in my eggs. Lightly spoon the boiling water on top of the egg to cook it. And voila poached eggs.
I too love them on everything.
On fish cakes too, like I did here: http://lipsmackinggoodness.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-never-would-have-tried-this-recipe.html
Thank you for this!!! I will bookmark it. It sounds corny but the other thing I have been trying to do is make the perfect hard boiled egg, where the entire yolk is cooked, not a little mushy on the inside but not overcooked. And it is very true at those decision tree points, like where in poaching, the yolk is all over the place, for us self doubters, that is the panic moment. So your step by step was very, very, helpful!!
I have never poached an egg! Wow, you make it look so simple, I have always feared it running everywhere in the water. Now it is on my must try list! Thanks!!
i tried it but made a big mess with the swirling– my egg got caught in the current and all torn up. so i went back to my tried and true method: the exact same, minus the swirling. worked fine, as it always does, producing eggs that weren’t perfectly shaped but held together well enough. i imagine the swirling would work with practice, but i’ve never cared much about the shape so long as the egg holds together. i’m just going to put a knife through it, anyway, and the runny yolk’s pretty enough as is.
Thanks Deb! I’ve been a lurker for a while, and I love love love your site. The days you post my heart must jump a beat because I get so giddy! Do you use Grade A or AA when you poach? Or do you think it makes a difference? I’m not even sure I’ve ever seen an AA egg!
Shirlie - I couldn’t help but notice your question b/c I had the same one myself when I decided to dive into egg poaching world! Yes, you can poach more than one egg at a time. Of course, your cooking time will be longer the more eggs there are in the pot. I read some of Alton Brown’s tips and they’re nearly fool proof. His method is practically the same as Deb’s - except he removes from heat and covers.
it should be an easy thing to do but my performance anxiety kicks in every time I poach eggs, I usually leave my cravings for brunch at restaurants. Ill give this a try shortly since I havent made breakfast yet.
I tried three this morning; one turned out well. The first, I accidentally punctured the yoke using a big pasta scooper to remove the egg (mental note, don’t use that tool). So I plopped it back in, searched for a better slotted spoon, chased the egg around awhile and ended up with a hard-poached yolk. My 2 year old got that one, then I tried two more, the last I under cooked out of sheer impatience because the second was so good. But now our tummies are full of buttery toasted french bread and ooey gooey egg goodness. We are skipping church and hanging out on the sofa for the rest of the morning!
That is exactly the method I use, too! I looove poached eggs.
I’ve heard that in England, they call the fingers “soldiers” and so they have soft boiled eggs and “soldiers” they dip into the yolk. I, too, have a fondness for eggs that is long standing. I remember eating soft-boiled eggs at my next door neighbor’s house when we lived in Germany (when I was 2-4). I’ve never been much of an egg poacher, but I’ll definitely give it a try.
hello!
I have been drooling over this blog for months & months now, and am finally commenting!
while I will definitely be trying this poached egg recipe, my real purpose with this comment was to tell you about recipes on your blog that I HAVE tried:
peanut butter cookies: AMAZING. literally the only cookies I’ve made that have come out looking like normal cookies. so delicious & the recipe made so many - I brought a ton to work & people loved them!
& today, pumpkin muffins: good LORD. the sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar on top is oh-so-perfect & I added some chocolate chips which was absolutely the best thing I could’ve done. they are so warm, so moist, so soft… thank you!
& wonderful blog…. the photos are amazing!!
Deb, you make this look so simple I must try it myself! I’ve long been a fan of the 3 minute egg, but poached eggs seemed so… scarey.
I think I know what I’ll have for breakfast tomorrow!
What a great tutorial. You almost need one of those time delay mechanisms, like the national geographic folks use to capture elusive animals in the night. it just automatically snaps one photo every four seconds or so, and then you’d have both your hands free!
But I have to quietly object to what I see as the current trend in putting poached eggs on EVERYTHING. I love eggs, but when paired with crunchy things like iceberg lettuce, the whole thing produces a strong gag reflex in me.
my family is not a poached eggs kind of family, so ive actually never eaten a whole poached egg. when i read your instructions, however, i decided to try making poached eggs, and got an opportunity to this morning…my first poached eggs were a hit! delicious..thanks a ton!
I am glad you posted this because there is this restaurant that we go to that has this absolutely gorgeous, puffy, almost popcorn-like poached eggs on their eggs Benedict, and I was dying to know how they did it. I think your method might produce that type of egg. I’ve never had a problem making edible poached eggs, but this definitely looks like an improvement. Yum - makes me want one now, too!
I just made my first ever poached egg. It was perfect - pretty & delicious on top of buffalo summer sausage hash…yum. Thanks!
Deb-this is perfect. Thank you!
Now I have another request…I’m bringing my dad to NYC this weekend to see a game at Yankee Stadium before it goes away. He has his mecca, I have mine. Can you tell me how to get to the big, bad greenmarket you and all my fav NYC foodie bloggers go to. We’re staying in Union Square. We should be close, right? Thanks again!
yummmm. i can’t wait to not be pregnant anymore. i miss my poached eggs on toast on lazy weekend mornings!
Hi Maggie — The biggest one is right in Union Square–you can’t miss it–M, W, F and Saturdays. However, we go to others as well, whatever is nearby. I check out one in Abingdon Square once in a while (a little closer to us) and Alex has been frequenting the one in Rock Center (near where he works). All have different schedules, available here.
I ate this for breakfast this morning!
Look pritty nice! It is easier (i do it that way), to put an egg in ladle, and than the ladle in hot water (with vinegar and all…), helps keeping a perfect form.
Wow! Love your blog… great step-by-step guidance with vivid imagery. Being someone who often eats out, I usually don’t explore cooking on my own… but at the least, your latest entry has inspired me to ‘poach my own egg’. Now, I can save money buying breakfast… I look forward to reading up on your other posts!
Cheers!
Vincent
i’ve been wondering how to poach eggs for a while — thank you so much! i think i am going to have that for breakfast in a couple of hours.
Thank you for the step-by-step. I love that. I used to do the vinegar thing, but I am back to being not sure about it. Can’t decide if it matters or not.
I hate to pimp my own things, but I worked pretty hard at getting something similar: the perfect soft-boiled egg. I found that exactly six minutes on the same almost-boiling setting you employed did the trick. You can then shock it (or simply cool it with cold water) and peel it and break it open, and it will have a good runny texture, but with a bit of that gooey goodness on the inside, too. Like so: http://www.flickr.com/photos/supereric/2482853049/
Got to put the egg in the hot water, of course. None of that starting the egg in cold water bidness.
Well, I tried my first poached egg this morning and it worked! Hooray!!
It wasn’t quite as beautiful as your egg, but it was so easy I’m sure I’ll use this technique again (practice makes perfect)!
Thanks so much for this tutorial; you’ve demystified the poached egg for me and I really appreciate that.
I love your blog and poached eggs…mm great tutorial. I think next time I make it Ill crack the egg into a separate bowl first, it seems a much better idea than attempting to crack it on the side of the pan!!
On another egg note, I made huevos rancheros for my boyfriend this weekend and he said they were the best breakfast he’s ever had! thanks!
I love poached eggs, but have one of those pans because it’s not as scary to use the pan. However, after seeing your step-by-step directions last night, I felt compelled to try this morning. My first egg was a disaster. I don’t think I made the whirlpool right (I know, don’t ask) and I definitely didn’t cook it long enough. The second egg was perfect! Yummy, runny, toast-dipping perfect egg-ness. Thank you for the great instructions!
I adore poached eggs! I haven’t made them in a while because it’s been so hot, but I may have them for lunch today. I’m pro-vinegar, but I get my water just above boiling and don’t bother with the whirlpool - just crack them in. Yum!!!
Deb, I wish you had mentioned to make sure your eggs are fresh! I find that is very important when making a poached egg.
dude! thank-you! my egg ALWAYS sticks to the bottom of the pan and I thought that was so weird and I must be the only one that experienced that kind of egg-demon behavior! the last time I attempted poached eggs I seriously started a fire (shameful)! I’m going to give it another try now…
Ahh. I’ve not been so much afraid as never tried it/never learned. But now I’m inspired - thanks!
Ah irony. I tried to cook poached eggs for the first time ever on Friday morning and it was disastrous. They just tasted all wrong and didn’t really maintain much of the white bits at all. I followed mostly these instructions, but aha! Minus putting it into a cup first. That will probably help. Thanks! Too bad I didn’t wait an hour until after you’d posted your advice.
In regards to the freshness of the eggs and the grade of the eggs: Better cooks than I will tell you that it’s very important that the eggs are as fresh as possible and that you use the best-quality, best grade eggs that you can get your hands on and they’re right. Fresh is always better and tastier.
But in the interest of disclosure–and also an effort to “keep it real” as the lovely Pioneer Woman says–I should let you know that I just don’t. I don’t eat eggs often enough to buy the fanciest ones (though on a week like this, when I’ve craved them daily, I will)–they usually go bad before I finish them. I choose whichever ones come in cardboard, not Styrofoam or plastic containers because the non-biodegradable packaging bugs me more than the dubious assertion of “cage free” (The Omnivore’s Dilemma unfortunately told me all too much about what gets away with being labeled “cage free”). And if I have a choice between organic or not organic and both are in cardboard containers, I go for organic. But aside from that, I pretty much buy whichever eggs I can get.
The horror, right? As I’ve said before, everyone has to figure out what works the best, and counts the most, for them.
I might just have to try that!
FYI, I’ve eaten egg on toast twice this week because of this post. I’m defenseless against your power of suggestion!
Thanks so much for this! My grandma used to always make me poached eggs and I’ve always been too timid to try and make them myself. Your breakdown is great!
Like BarbraC, I use the microwave trick. It’s awesome. I use a couple tablespoons of water and a splash of vinegar in a little custard cup. I use full power, but only cook it for 52 seconds or so. Every microwave is different so it takes some (delicious) trial-and-error. I had one last night on a tortilla with swiss cheese and spinach, one of my best creations ever.
If you have super-fresh eggs (like your own backyard chickens) you don’t have to bother with the stirring or the vinegar. Just bring the water to a simmer and break the eggs into the water. The whites hold together just fine.
Hmm not sure on the microwave idea but I will try this again. I used those egg poachers with plastic cups and they produce an egg so artificial looking.
I guess I need to be brave, arm myself with a large cup of tea (or something stronger) and try this out…
Deb,
You are a great teacher as well as a great cook and photographer. This could be a television series for you. Move over Martha.
this is EXACTLY how i poach eggs. mom taught me when i was like 10. then re-taught me at 26. :) they do turn out exceptionally well this way…nice tutorial! :)
one more question! do your eggs ever stick to the paper town while draining??
having poached eggs in the similar manner all of my adult life (because that’s how my husband did it) my family was overcome with joy when one day, a few years ago, i reached back into my childhood memories and poached them the way my dad poached them. in half and half, a pat of butter and a touch of salt. lordy lordy….our lives have never been the same since. (nor have my thighs but that’s another matter…)
YUM! (Yes, that was me yelling.) I do so love poached eggs, and have only attempted them once or twice. Thanks for the demo!
I’ve tried the water-in-pan method but something about all of the lost strains of whites drives me insane. The vortex method has also never worked for me. I did eventually try the Julia Child trick of putting the egg in the pan still in its shell for about 30 seconds and then cracking it in and it helped a lot. I recently bought a little microwave egg-poaching container which has worked well if you manage to work out the timing. I use it mostly because it is quick and I can have a poached egg when I’m in a hurry for school.
If only there was a hole in the bread you’d have eggy in a basket! Great info!
This brought back memories of the cooks at my old armory and what they’d whip up for themselves after they got done poisoning the rest of us in the unit. I used to watch them, absolutely fascinated, while they made some of the most drool worthy delicacies using utensils and equipment designed for feeding an Army (quite literally!). I caught one of the younger cooks perfecting his poaching skills using just a cup of water pooled on the grill and a lid from a small pot: he tossed the water on the hot grill, delicately place the egg on it, then cover it with the lid. Somehow, he was rewarded with a poached egg! Magic!
Gorgeous pictures — this is exactly how I like to eat my poached eggs, too! Not many things in this world better than an oozy egg with salt and pepper on buttered toast.
I love you.
I love your blog.
But I must protest - vinegar? I know that it keeps the white together so you can take pretty pictures - but you can ALWAYS taste the vinegar and that is never a good thing.
If you do not like vinegar you should of course not use it, though it does make things easier. We happen to like the flavor, subtle as it is.
P.S. to all who have suggested Julia Child’s method: I just gave it a try! It was good. I can’t say it made any great difference in the outcome for the extra steps, but the egg did seem to come together well. Thanks for the suggestion.
I must be doing something wrong. I believed I was following your method, but after I put the egg in, the water got all frothy and white! And the white didn’t stay together. Help?
I think this would be my last meal. You know, if I ever had to request a last meal. I would probably use three times as much butter on my toast, though.
You are my hero! LOL I love poached eggs and have used the vinegar and it it helps. I can’t wait to try your whirlpool method. And I’ve got to say the egg all smashed dow there on the bread looks soo good! I’m going to try eating it your way next time!
Okay, I only just realized this, but I’ve been using a new method to poach my eggs for a few years now…
Are you ready for this?
Never mind the plastic wrap, cupcake liners, etc…
Poach them in the shell! I basically soft-boil an egg or two. (I think some people call them 4- or 5-minute eggs). With practice (and a bath of cold water) peeling them isn’t really as hard as you’d think, and when you get them peeled and set them on buttered toast, you can’t tell the difference!
(My mother was a proponent of the vinegar-in-the-water trick, but sometimes she overdid it and our eggs benedict had a somewhat overwhelming vinegar-y-ness. So if you’re trying that, be sure not to go overboard with the vinegar).
Well holy cow. I just reread some of the comments. Who knew I was so close to using Julia Child’s recipe! :o)
Sicilian Poached Eggs call for red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar instead of white vinegar. Learned it from Angelo Garro and it is wonderful.
thank you SO much for this post - i was inspired enough to make poached eggs for the first time at home and they were incredibly easy to make and delicious!
I read through all the comments to see if anyone would suggest making poached eggs the way my mom did (and I still do). Instead of vinegar, try a tablespoon or two of kosher salt . . .
I would have to try but makes a lot of sense!
This is a recipe close to my heart. My mom taught me to “coddle” an egg when I was about 8 (we actually use the suspended poacher over the steaming water…she likes the hemisphere look). When I wake up late on a Saturday morning, she’s ready for “second breakfast” and we sit down and have them on English muffins. As she got sicker and sicker, it was one of the few things I could make that she could eat consistently, and it would always improve her day.
When she had surgery three times over the next 5 years, these were indispensable…anesthesia plays hell with your emotions for months, and making an Egg and Muffin often was how I cheered her up. I can’t count how many times I had this conversation with her:
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why are you crying?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you hungry?”
“No…”
“Do you want a coddled egg?”
“Yes…”
Even now, 5 years after her last surgery, we still sit down for this every time we’re together. I suspect she has one every weekend!
Hello all!
There is science behind adding vinegar! The acid combines with the proteins to tighten them (think of proteins as little, loose springs that tighten with cooking and/or exposure to acid) (think how cooking tightens up a piece of meat, or how acid “cooks” food for a seviche). Experience has shown me that when I get sloppy and pour in too much vinegar, I can taste it — so to those who are in the anti-vinegar lobby, try less vinegar!
And a warning to all who ask for poached eggs in restaurants. Some will “poach” the eggs by slipping a little oil spray or other lubricant into a custard cup, add the egg, and “poach” them in the microwave. One restaurant advised me they poached their eggs in water: what it turned out to be was that they did the above (greades a custard cup, added an egg) but then set the custard-cup assemblage in a bain-marie (of sorts). The latter is a little closer to acceptable, but this boy eats poached eggs to keep his fat intake to a minimum — so having an egg “poached” with any kind of fat added is a little self-defeating.
And finally, if you haven’t tried it, do try Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce instead of S & P. Your heart will thank you as it does a fay-do-do!
Julia Child uses the water-vortex method too. And for those who don’t like vinegar, lemon juice also works, and does the same chemical reaction Liam mentioned about the acid assisting in coagulating the eggwhite.
Ohh..this is just delightful. I [massive heart] poached eggs!
Gina- My father swears by basted eggs. I’d never heard of them from anyone other than my father, and, as a person who spent years slinging eggs at brunch, I was convinced that he made them up. But I got to agree - they’re awesome. I think it’s because the butter fries the bottom of the egg, but it’s still soft and supple like a poached egg on top.
wow. that looks so good. i love the picture of the yolk oozing out. and toast fingers? awesome idea. poached eggs are rare around here. and i’m not a big fan of runny yolks (as much as i love that picture) i might try this but cook it longer so the yolks harden a little. :)
Round cookie cutters can also be used in shallow water to poach eggs. I’ve tried it once and it seemed to work ok! :D
I cook my poached eggs the pretty much the same way. However, I substitute a bit of white wine for the vinegar because I prefer the taste. I also poach my eggs in tomato juice or other vegetable juices sometimes.
As always the photos are divine, the dish excellent… love those poached eggs…
omg, you are simply amazing. your writing is great and your pictures are even better. and looking at that egg is making my mouth water. gah.
~Am~
Just like everyone else, I’m a little scared to tackle the whole poached egg scenario. I’ve only done it once and back then I didn’t use vinegar. It still turned out like a poach egg, but from what I remember there weren’t as much egg white left around the yolk - it just ended up floating elsewhere in the pot, uneaten!
But, as always, I was confident about this recipe or any other recipe of yours for that matter. (Hey, I check your website first for recipes before I go elsewhere like Food Network or Martha Stewart.) ;) Anyway, I tried it just 10 minutes ago, doing exactly what you’ve done, and the egg turned out perfect! If I had a picture, I would even go as far to say that it was better than yours. :P
Thanks for posting such an important recipe! I hope everyone else finds this as helpful as I do!
Good job! I prefer a poached egg over any other type .. and I have had many a disaster, too.
I break my egg into a small glass milk pitcher … swirl or not swirl .. vinegar or no vinegar .. I have found the small pitcher to be the biggest help. You can get the egg right into the water without a big “plop” that can spread out the white and/or break the yolk.
Several have mentioned that they hate when you can taste the vinegar - one solution for that is to use a vinegar that tastes good! My preference is for white wine vinegar - I’ve yet to taste it in my eggs. :)
As for the runny yolks? Soooooooooo goooooooood. My mom used to cut me soldiers to dunk in my soft boiled eggs. I hadn’t thought of them for poached (which I normally eat smashed on toast, just like in the last photo). I’m inspired to try them for my breakfast this morning.
I did it again! Hop on over to my blog and see a picture of it! :)
Thank you VERY much! There were a couple of key elements there which you did and explained, and the whys of….and now I think I know why my poaches are always such a mess. THIS makes sense!!
I have always had good results using a non-stick shallow pan, boiling water in it with a bit of vinegar. Using a shallow pan allows me to cook several poached eggs at the same time.
Just by looking here (I love poached eggs) and at your huevos rancheros post, I feel compelled to say thank you for cooking with a camera in your hand. It must be really hard, but we are all way better off for it! Your site is tip top!
That was so easy, thanks for that.
Lovely. I’m ashamed to admit that I need my yolks like golf balls.
I’m SO happy right now. I had sworn off making poached eggs because they never worked out and it was really annoying. However, I saw your post and decided to give it one more try and guess what, They worked!!! I thought the first one could have been a fluke so I made a second and they both turned out perfectly. Thank you so much!
I used your method to make poached eggs for dinner Monday night. So good! Now that I know how simple it is to poach eggs, I’m going to be living on eggs benedict!
I used rice wine vinegar in the poaching liquid…it’s all I had on hand, but it worked great!
I’m putting a post up with a pic, but mine doesn’t look nearly as nice as yours!
This is a fun post! Thanks for the great tips!
That was great! Thanks for the detailed photos - I am ready to try for myself! And toast fingers, you’re a genius…
That looks yummy. Maybe I should have some for my tea!
I finally got around to trying out egg poaching, emboldened by this blog. I followed all your steps, to moderate success (my eggs kept stringing out way too much for my liking). Finally, I hit on a solution that works for me every time: Have a fairly flat-bottomed ladle waiting in the hot water. Break the egg into a dish, bring the ladle just to the water’s surface, but keep it full of hot water. Slide the egg into the ladle and wait a few seconds for the white to start coagulating. Lower the ladle to the bottom, standing it up against the side of the pot, and let the egg poach in the ladle for 3 minutes. Transfer the egg into a slotted spoon and drain, then transfer egg to some paper towels. Thanks for all the tips and inspiration!
I just poached my first egg! And it worked! Actually, I left it in a tiny bit too long so it wasn’t super runny the way it’s supposed to be, but it was delicious!
Wow… thanks for all the steps that was so helpful! Great job on the photos. My eggs turned out great but I used a packaged hollandaise sauce and it was not so good. Do you have a recipe for hollandaise sauce? Thanks so much!
Stayed home sick today and the only thing that sounded good was a poached egg and toast. I used this method, and other than not cooking it *quite* long enough for my tastes (I got nervous) it worked BEAUTIFULLY. My fiancee loves poached eggs and I can’t wait to wow him with my new egg skills. Thank you!
So I’ve never even thought about making a poached egg - I’ve always been a fried or boiled egg gal. I’ve been getting bored with my eggs, though, so I decided to try it (and of course used your how-to!) and it ended up perfect! Delicious and easy - I’m definitely going to keep making them. :) THANKS!
thanks for the tips..I am always afraid to poach eggs….seems I never have much egg left, except just the yolk. But I am going to try your method.
Thanks again….
Beautiful instructions! As always, eggs from happy hens are stratispheres above icky old store bought eggs from miserable hens with miserable lives. The color difference is extreme as well! Try your farmer;’s market or roadside stand. well worth it. They stay fresh for ages, too!
Your method worked perfectly and your step-by-step instructions gave me the guts to try this style of poaching eggs after I’d sworn it off long ago! Thanks!
Okay..I had to come back and revisit this, because I found a method that’s easier. I buttered a 6oz custard cup (You could use a coffee cup or ramekin) and filled it half way with water. I placed it in the microwave (I have a 1000 watt) and heated the water for 1 minute to the extremely hot but not boiling stage. I cracked a cold egg into the water and let it sit about 15 seconds and put it back in the microwave and heated it at medium high for 10 seconds. Checked it and heated it another 10 seconds until the top was covered with cooked egg white. I removed it with a slotted spoon to my toast and added salt and pepper. A perfectly soft set poached egg with a just glazing of white over the yoke. the egg whites perfectly formed and yolk mounded. Another egg was done for 3 - 10 second intervals, and it was almost firm set..just a little of the runny yoke. Too easy!
Thank you! Your pictures enticed me to make this for myself at 9pm, after having eaten a lovely dinner. But it was SO yummy looking, it was calling out to me. This was my second attempt ever at making poached eggs. the first was an utter disaster. Tonight was out of this world fantastic. I love this tutorial, I can’t begin to tell you how much. Am going to treat my husband and daughter to this for breaky tomorrow am. Wonderbar!
Now that I can actually make them, poached eggs have become a staple in my diet! Excellent tutorial.
mmm… as soon as i saw that post i jumped up and made myself a poached egg… PERFECT - thanks so much
Wow, it worked. I’ve never been able to do this before. What perfect, spur of the moment lunch. I think it took longer to make it than it did to eat it. Thankyou. Could you possibly do a tutorial for making hollandaise sauce? I’d love to be able to master them both.
thanks heaps :-)
Buy an egg poacher - it is much easier and there is less waste, more egg. Not the microwave kind… the one that sits on the stove - very yummie!