How to Poach an Egg
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How to Poach an Egg
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Learn how to poach an egg perfectly every time! All it takes are eggs, vinegar, and a few standard kitchen tools.
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Ingredients
- 1 large egg (or as many as you like!)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
- Fill a wide, large saucepan with water 2 inches deep. Place over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat so it is barely simmering. (You should see bubbles on the bottom of the pan, but the water shouldn’t be boiling or bubbling up to the top.)
- When you’re ready to cook, crack an egg into a small bowl or ramekin. Stir the white vinegar into the hot water.
- Using a spoon, stir the water in a circular motion to create a vortex or tornado-like movement in the pan. Carefully pour the egg into the center of the swirling water, and cook, undisturbed for about 3 minutes. The egg whites should be opaque and firm, but the egg should give when gently pressed with the back of a spoon.
- Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the egg, letting excess water drip back into the pan. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the extra water. Continue poaching eggs, adding more water if needed to keep the depth around 2 inches. Serve hot as desired or simply sprinkled with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Use the freshest eggs you can: Fresh eggs have less of the thin whites, so you will have fewer strands that develop while the egg cooks. Older eggs will have more watery whites, so if you decide to use them, I recommend straining the egg first (see how just below!)
- Use cold eggs! They will hold together better when cracking and placing in the water.
- Strain your eggs: If you want to remove some of the thinner, more liquidy parts of the egg whites (or albumen), crack an egg into a fine mesh strainer and let the egg drain into a bowl for a minute or so. Then, transfer the strained whole egg to a small bowl and continue poaching as directed. The very watery part of the egg whites causes wisps or strands to develop while the eggs cook. They don’t affect the taste of the poached eggs, but the eggs look a lot nicer without them.
- Crack the egg into a small cup, bowl, or ramekin: This makes it easy to tell whether or not the yolk is intact. It also makes it more convenient to remove any pieces of eggshell that may fall in. Lastly, cracking the egg into a bowl makes it much simpler to add the egg to the pot of hot water and avoid being splashed by hot water.
- Watch the temperature of the water: It needs to be just simmering. You should see bubbles on the bottom of the pot, but there should be no bubbles breaking at the top. If the water is too hot, your poached egg will split. Adjust your stove as necessary to maintain barely simmering water.
- How to poach multiple eggs: The steps show how to poach one egg, but you can certainly cook more than one egg at a time! With a more crowded pan, you won’t be able to swirl the water, so the eggs won’t have that neat, quintessential look, but they will still taste delicious. Make sure you choose a pan or pot large enough to hold your eggs while also leaving a couple of inches of space between each one. (A deep, 12-inch skillet works well.) Skip the swirling of the water and place your eggs in the hot water one at a time when the water is barely simmering.
- Don’t skip the vinegar: It helps hold the egg whites together the best poached eggs. Don’t worry, the eggs will not taste like vinegar!
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
74kcal
(4%)
Carbohydrates
0.4g
(0%)
Protein
6g
(12%)
Fat
5g
(8%)
Saturated Fat
2g
(10%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
2g
Trans Fat
0.02g
Cholesterol
186mg
(62%)
Sodium
71mg
(3%)
Potassium
69mg
(2%)
Sugar
0.2g
(0%)
Vitamin A
270IU
(5%)
Calcium
29mg
(3%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 74 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 74kcal | 4% |
| Carbohydrates | 0.4g | 0% |
| Protein | 6g | 12% |
| Fat | 5g | 8% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 0.02g | 1% |
| Cholesterol | 186mg | 62% |
| Sodium | 71mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 69mg | 1% |
| Sugar | 0.2g | 0% |
| Vitamin A | 270IU | 5% |
| Calcium | 29mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
9 reviews
Excellent
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