People Just Discovered This Hack for Poaching Eggs and They’re Flipping Out

published Jul 20, 2023
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Plated poached egg on toast with salt and pepper.
Credit: Joe Lingeman

If you’re like us, you’re always looking for easy ways to prepare eggs. Scrambled eggs happen to be my favorite method, but plenty of people love poached eggs. I’ve never been able to poach an egg properly myself (I’m no chef!) until I stumbled on this ingenious TikTok from creator @CaoileannnConway

In her recent TikTok video, the social media dietitian gives some detailed yet concise instructions for poaching the perfect egg. Check out her video below to see for yourself.

Here’s what you do. First grab a pot — a smaller one with space for two eggs is fine if you’re just making some eggs for yourself or one for you and a friend. Next pour some boiling water into the pot, filling it halfway. Then add some vinegar and salt. Do not skip this step! 

Now, when you notice little white bubbles forming in the water over medium-low heat, simply crack your egg into the pan and let it drop gently into the boiling water. Yes, you read right: Simply crack the egg into the pan — no ramekin or teacup required. After about a minute or so, start flicking some water on top of the egg yolks. When the top of the yolks start to whiten, check your eggs. If there’s too much wiggling of the whites around the yolk, they’re not done yet, so pop them back in the water!

After another minute, check your eggs again. If the whites are a little firmer but the yolk is still jiggly, you’re good to go. Carefully transfer your eggs onto a plate and — the secret step here — lightly dab around your eggs with a paper towel to suck up the excess moisture before gently setting the eggs on top of toast (or an English muffin, or whatever suits your poached egg fancy!). Lastly, the most critical step: Season to your liking with a little bit of salt and a crack of fresh pepper, before cutting into your perfectly poached eggs and soaking up that gooey egg yolk with toasted bread. Can you say divine

The whole idea of poaching an egg has always been foreign to me, but Caoileann makes it looks easier than ever. And I’m not the only one who feels this way. “I’m not a good cook. Honestly, I’m terrible. I watched this maybe 15 times and now I’m proudly texting all of my friends my poached eggs. #proud,” wrote one fan. 

Another fan said, “I’m a professional chef who’s cooked countless poached eggs but I still watched this all the way through.” 

Armed with this egg poaching knowledge, I’m definitely inspired to try my hand at poached eggs next breakfast!