Poached eggs sure do cause a lot of anxiety. Ostensibly, this is a quick and easy breakfast to go with a side of toast. But when confronted with a pot of boiling water and a raw egg, things can start to feel a little...squirrely. Don't be intimidated! Poaching eggs is easier than you think.
First off, I just want to state for the record that there is nothing wrong with some wispy bits of egg whites in your pot after poaching eggs. They are inevitable. You didn't do anything wrong, and in fact, there's very little you can do to prevent them.
Egg yolks have two layers of egg whites around them: a thick inner white and a thinner outer white. The thin outer white will wisp away in the water, but the thick inner white will stay tight around the yolk. Those wisps look like you're losing a lot of white, but in reality, it's just a little bit. Don't sweat it. If the wisps really bother you, try straining the loose outer whites with a perforated spoon before poaching.
Focus on the parts of the egg that you want to make it to your plate:
3 Tips for Better Poached Eggs
- Use the freshest eggs possible: As eggs get older, the whites start to become looser and the amount of thick inner white starts to decrease. Check the date on your eggs — the fresher the better.
- Poach in a few inches of water: You don't need much water to poach an egg. An inch or two will do the trick nicely and will also keep the egg from bobbing around in the water, thus keeping it in a tidy package.
- Heat the water to a rapid simmer: Heat the water to a rapid simmer, add the cracked eggs, and then immediately turn down the heat to low. You want the water hot enough to start setting the proteins in the egg whites immediately, but not so hot that the boiling water tears the delicate whites before they can set. Once the eggs have been added, a low heat is all you need to maintain a good poaching temperature.
Related: How to Poach an Egg in the Microwave
(Image: Emma Christensen)
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My eggs often stick to the bottom of the pan, any way to avoid that? (besides using a non-stick?).
Check out the Alton Brown "recipe" for poached eggs in his eggs Benedict show. He uses a big wide pot and puts ramekins in there and the eggs go in there, SO easy. This was the worst part of making Benedict for my husband and now it has made it a more than once a year dish!!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/eggs-benedict-recipe/index.html
that method looks fantastic! thanks much :)
My biggest problem with poaching eggs has always been determining just what the heck a "rapid" simmer (or even just a "simmer") is supposed to look like. The other day though I happened to catch some TV chef poaching eggs, and they had a good close-up shot of the pan, which had lots of medium-sized bubbles on the bottom, but very few breaking the surface, so that's what I'm going to shoot for next time.
@susan b smooth -- My eggs often stick a little bit to the bottom of my stainless steel pan, too. Once the whites have started to set, you can nudge them to get them to release. I also wonder if making sure the water is at a rapid simmer when the eggs hit the water will help -- the bubbles should help keep the whites from sticking too badly.
@msmla -- I totally understand! Take a look at the video (linked at the bottom of the post) for our own interpretation of "rapid simmer".
Msmla, I was advised that yes, when you get bubbles on the bottom of the pot, that's the time to put in the eggs.
Another trick I learend is to put the egg in a teacup or small bowl first and then gently lower the cup into the water and ease the egg in.
I love poached eggs but when I'm really in a hurry I just soft boil them, I find that much easier.
Do people still add vinegar to the water to help the egg wrap onto itself? I don't like the vinegar taste so I usually rinse the poached egg afterward, but then it cools the egg down in the process. Do you find that vinegar is not needed when the above tips are followed?
My mom always bagged her eggs with plastic wrap and an oil mister, tied with kitchen twine.
One tip I recall reading somewhere was to strain the thinner part of the white out of the egg, using a slotted spoon. This apparently helps you avoid the whispy, unattractive bits from forming. It sounds wasteful and unnecessary to me, though, so I've never felt the need to try it.
Serious eats posted an Article last week about making poached eggs, I will never go back to the old ways.
It might be a bit sacrilegious, but I use little silicone cups to poach my eggs. Works perfectly every time and I love them over buttered toast and a handful of arugula.
Poached our eggs last night. Strained room temp eggs one by one in medium metal strainer over a bowl, allowing the weaker whites to drain into the bowl. Put each strained egg into its own custard bowl after each was strained. Heated 1" water to boiling with a tsp of white vinegar and 1/4 tsp salt. Turned off heat and added eggs from each custard bowl one at a time allowing the thicker egg white to kind of tighten up before adding the next. Plopped the lid on and let it sit for 6 minutes. Took a look at 6 minutes and decided to go for one more minute. Removed from hot water using a a large plastic slotted spoon and seved immediately. Beautiful, oval eggs with yolks offset from the center with runny yolks and just set whites. Did not rinse before serving and never tasted the vinegar or the salt.
I am NOT a good cook, so this method really worked!!!
Oh, my! Forgot to say I used a small nonstick shallow frying pan, which is probably why the little water worked.
My dad used to swirl the water in a little whirlpool and slide the egg into the "eye." I've never ever tried to poach an egg.
LOVE poached eggs. I actually use little silicone cups: they make the job a zillion times easier. And the clean up is a breeze.
For me the pivotal moment came when I added vinegar to my pot--it just started working better and the eggs seemed more attractive. I don't taste the vinegar.
....though my eggs have never been as attractive as the ones pictured above :-(
Those are some delicious looking eggs, makes me want to go break into my fridge as we speak.
If the waste of the white bothers you, you could always stash the runny whites in a bowl in the fridge and add it to your next batch of scrambled eggs/omelets/frittata.
Me too I love poached eggs! I do them very often. My tip is to mix the water with a spoon creating an spiral, some vinegar. As everything is life the more you do them the better they come. The other day I do two eggs in the same time, same pan!!
I found that practice makes perfect. The upside is that you get to eat a lot of poached eggs while you perfect your craft. :)
I don't know why people get so nervous about poached eggs. It's easier than scrambled or flipping a fried egg. Simmering water, splash of vinegar, crack a couple eggs in, nudge them off the bottom, use a slotted spoon to remove. It's really not rocket science. I eat them almost every day on whole wheat toast and top with sea salt.
I once saw on Martha Stewart that you should put the egg uncracked in the boiling water for 10 seconds, remove it, add salt to the water, let the water it come back to a boil, then turn the water down and crack the egg in. The only time this doesn't work is if the egg isn't fresh enough. I make poached eggs this way a lot, it's super easy. I like to just cook them on low for 3 minutes, and I don't mess with them while they are cooking.
mginwa - Yes. I watched a Julia Child video where she recommended almost that exact method. She even talked about how eggs have changed since she first started cooking, and that all that didn't used to be necessary (if I remember correctly). These videos changed my life: http://www.pbs.org/food/julia-child ;)