How to Poach an Egg
An easy and effective way to perfectly poach a soft and tender egg.
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 Egg fresh eggs are best
Instructions
- Crack a fresh egg into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. While egg sits, prepare your pot of water.
- Fill pot with at least 4 inch straight sides with water. Turn heat on to medium high and wait for tiny bubbles to appear all over the bottom of pan and just barely start moving through the top in a teeny tiny simmer.
- When water is ready at about 180℉, gently slide the egg from the strainer into the hot water. You may use a very flexible rubber spatula to gently roll the egg a bit and make sure it's not sticking to the bottom of your pan.
- Set a timer for 3-4 minutes. 3 minutes for a softer, more runny egg (or if you are poaching eggs to reheat later) and 4 for an egg with slightly more structure.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the egg and set it on some folded paper towels to absorb excess moisture and then serve immediately. *If needed, you can use a clean pair of scissors to clean up the edges of the egg, but I have literally never needed to do this when straining my eggs first!
Notes
How to Poach Multiple Eggs at Once:
You may use this process for multiple eggs at once, as many as comfortably fit in your strainer in a single layer and in your pan without touching or crowding. If cooking multiple eggs at once, it's important to watch which ones you place in your pot of water first so you can take them out in the same order so they are evenly cooked. For this reason, I personally don't like poaching more than about 6 at a time.
How to Poach Eggs Ahead of Time:
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- To prep poached eggs ahead of time, follow instructions as outlined above, but when you remove your eggs from the pot, immediately place it in an ice bath. Once cool, place eggs in a container filled with cool water covering the eggs. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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- When ready to eat eggs, you'll warm them with warm water. If I'm just heating 1-2 eggs for myself, I simply place them in a bowl and cover them with hot water for a few minutes.
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- If I know I'll be reheating a larger quantity of eggs at once, I'll undercook them by 1 minute on the initial cook, and place them in a pot of barely simmering water to cook for the final minute before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1egg, Calories: 63kcal, Carbohydrates: 0.3g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 164mg, Sodium: 62mg, Potassium: 61mg, Sugar: 0.2g, Vitamin A: 238IU, Calcium: 25mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 63kcal
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