How to Poach Eggs

Poached eggs are perfect for serving atop a piece of toast or for making eggs Benedict. There's no added fat, and they're very easy to make. If you're an egg lover, this is certainly a dish for you!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Large Eggs
• Salt And Pepper
• White Vinegar
• White Vinegar

1. 

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil. The water should be at least five or six inches deep (the deeper the better).

2. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

3. 

   When the water boils, add about a tbsp. vinegar for every pint or so of water. Taste to make sure the level is right. The vinegar should be barely noticeable.

4. Lower the water to a slow simmer.

5. Carefully crack one egg into a teacup or large ladle.

6. 

   Lower the teacup or ladle into the water and pour the egg out as gently as possible.

7. The egg white will coagulate in the water and turn white. Most eggs will take between two and three minutes for the white to cook but leave the yolk still runny. Remove the egg at this point with a slotted spoon or strainer.

8. 

   Repeat with remaining eggs. You can poach several eggs at once in the same pot.

Tips & Warnings

• The vinegar is actually an important element in egg poaching. It causes the egg white to immediately turn white and begin cooking, and it speeds up the cooking process so the egg doesn't overcook.
• Some people swirl the water to create a whirlpool, then drop the egg in. This can help the egg hold its shape.
• Poached eggs will have some loose strands of egg white attached to them; you can cut these away for a more attractive appearance.
• You can poach eggs ahead of time, undercooking them slightly. Then chill them in ice water and reheat later to finish cooking.
• Commercial egg poachers don't truly poach eggs, they steam them, but they do give you uniformly shaped cooked eggs. Simply spray the poaching tray with cooking oil and follow the manufacturers' directions.

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[jackbutler5555]

on 9/18/2009 I'm not nearly as careful as I perhaps should be. I crack the eggs into the same bowl I'll eat them from (using the side of the bowl), wait for less than a quart of water to boil in a MEDIUM pot, dunk the bowl sideways into the boiling water and just dump the fresh eggs all at once (up to five eggs), reduce the heat so it won't boil over, cook three minutes for soft eggs, wash out the raw egg residue from the bowl with hot tap water, pour the eggs into a small colander, drain them, and pour them into the bowl. I use a half a paper towel to absorb left over water in the bowl and remove the towel before I eat them. I should try the moe elaborate instructions I see here to determine if that produces a better poached egg. (When I have some time.) But my eggs come out holding their shape and looking (and tasting) pretty good. You guys might try my way to see if your way is better. ...

[Learningbelle]

on 10/26/2008 Made these this morning for my husband. I believe I enjoyed making them more than he enjoyed eating them. Don't get me wrong--he liked them. I don't eat runny eggs but had wanted to learn how to make them. This recipe was easy, good and very non-complicated at all. Thanks!

[pippyjimjam]

on 11/9/2006 Good method, very similar to the one on this site I found:
http://www.perfectpoachedegg.com
There are some good photos too. Another tip - rather than using a cup or ladle to drop the egg in the water, simply hold the egg, fat end down, and take off a small amount of the little end. The yolk remains safe in the bottom (the knife doesn't break it) and a small amount of the water liquid escapes (this would turn into the stringy bit anyway). Then, using the egg shell as a cup, carefully bring it down to the water and tip in the egg.

on 8/8/2006 Make the eggs very cold before poaching, the whites will be less runny when you put them in water, so the egg holds together better. The same goes for using the freshest eggs possible.

on 11/22/2005 Line a cup with microwavable cling-film, leaving excess film at the top of the cup. Gently crack an egg into the cup. Tie the cling-film at the top so you have a cling-film bag of egg.
Drop the bag and the egg in the microwave and poach as normal. It comes out perfect and leaves the easiest cleaning job!