Poaching an egg is a simple art to master and eggs cooked by poaching are a healthy alternative to other egg recipes. Fresh eggs give the best result for poaching as the structural integrity of the egg white diminishes with age and with fresh eggs the white will stay clinging around the yolk resulting in the best type of poached egg where the yolk is runny and the albumen is cooked.
The traditional method of poaching eggs gives consistently good results, as do those cooked in egg poaching pans or pan inserts. However, eggs cooked this way have a manufactured shape not as appealing to the purist, but the taste appeal is still there. The cling-wrap method is popular with those who have difficulty with the traditional method, while there are mixed reports about the success of egg poaching machines and microwave egg poachers.
Traditional Method for Poaching Eggs
Ingredients:
- Eggs
- Splash of white vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Fill a large pot or deep saucepan with water
- Bring to a gentle simmer between 160 and 185 degrees
- Add a splash of white vinegar to the water
- Swirl the water with a spoon to form a whirl pool
- Crack the egg and drop it into the centre of the whirlpool
- Let the egg cook in the water for 2 to 4 minutes
- Remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon
The acid in the vinegar causes the protein chains in the egg to denature quicker and therefore cook faster. If the whirlpool spins too fast it can pull the eggs apart. The egg should be dropped in from as close to the water as possible. This is made easier if each egg is first broken into a small ramekin and then slid gently into the whirlpool.
Determining when the eggs are poached is a matter of practice as it is affected by the size of the eggs used, whether they are room temperature or straight from the fridge, water temperature, the number of eggs being cooked in the pan together, and personal preference. A medium size egg at room temperature generally takes 2 mins 30s to 2 mins 40s but 3 mins if straight from the fridge.
How to Poach an Egg Using the Cling Wrap Method
- Line a small ramekin or cup with a piece of plastic wrap, leaving an overhang
- Crack an egg into the cup then pull the wrap upwards and twist the top
- Lower the wrapped egg into simmering water
- Poach egg for 2 mins 30s or until cooked to your liking
- Remove egg from water, unwrap and serve
Eggs cooked this way may have a slightly wrinkled look but taste similar to those cooked directly in water.
Egg Poaching Pans, Egg Poaching Machines and Microwave Egg Poachers
Poaching pans or pan inserts can be bought with individual cups to poach 4 or 6 eggs at a time. Once you place a lid on the pan the eggs cook from steam, and you simply put a small piece of butter in each pan insert before you break the egg in so that you can get it out without sticking. These produce a nice poached egg with a very regular round shape.
Specialised egg poaching cookware is available, including microwave egg poachers but the feedback on them is highly variable. In the microwave egg poachers the egg will explode unless the membrane around the yolk is pierced several times, and they work best if you stop the microwave every 20 to 30 seconds to check on them.
Poached Egg Trivia
- Eggs can be poached in milk.
- Using red wine vinegar instead of white can alter the colour of the eggs.
- To make poached green eggs; poach the eggs in green tea.
- The most popular poached eggs recipe is Eggs Benedict.
- The whirlpool should be spinning clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and anti clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.
Related articles
How To Make Eggs Benedict - This article describes how to make this classic brunch recipe of muffins topped with bacon/ham, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.
How To Make Hollandaise Sauce at Home - This article gives step-by-step directions for making this smooth buttery french sauce.
Jo Jackson - Jo is an Australian writer with an MBA and a B.Sc.(Hons) in botany. She has wanted to write since she first discovered books and currently ...
Join the Conversation