Poached eggs are a beautiful thing and are one of the best methods for cooking healthy eggs. The whites are firm enough on the outside to contain a gushing, golden yolk in a round little package. Most people don't make poached eggs at home, thinking that it’s difficult to get that perfect, spherical shape. And how to cook them in a way that prevents a lot of those crazy white wispies. Here are a few tips, for how you can poach eggs perfectly every time!
STEP 1: PREPARE YOUR WORK AREA
Prepare the following items:
Large pot to boil water
White or Apple Cider Vinegar
Mixing spoon
Slotted spoon
Wire mesh strainer or colander
Fresh eggs. Use the freshest eggs possible. This truly is the #1 most important factor in determining the success of your poached eggs. Fresh eggs have firmer whites, less liquidy whites and hold a spherical shape better.
STEP 2: BOIL WATER IN LARGE POT
Use a large, deeper pot as this will produce a more spherical, teardrop shape. As the egg falls in the water, the yolk sinks first and the white trails behind. Using a deeper pot will also help to avoid splashing, so that when it comes time to stir the water rapidly, you won't splash boiling water on your or your oven. You can make poached eggs in a shallow pot, but the shape will be flatter, like a fried egg.
Fill the pot about halfway with water; at least 5" deep. Then add 1-2 TBSN of vinegar. Don't be concerned if you think adding vinegar to the water will make your eggs taste like vinegar. Adding just 1-2 tablespoons of light colored vinegar won't flavor the egg and helps with keeping the egg white together.
TIP: Do not add salt. Adding salt to the water creates those white wispies. Salt increases the density of the water which makes more of the egg white float and spread out; creating a not-so-pretty poached egg.
Once water begins to boil, reduce heat to Low.
STEP 3: STRAIN THE RAW EGG IN A WIRE MESH STRAINER.
Crack the egg in a fine mesh sieve over a small bowl; this will separate the firmer white and yolk from the any liquidy whites. This tip will help reduce the amount of wispies. When you crack an egg you’ll notice that there’s a firmer white and a liquidy white- which creates those white wispies. Adding the egg to a fine mesh strainer to separate the thinner liquid white will leave just the firmer white to envelop the yolk and reduce the amount of wispies.
Drop the egg gently from the strainer into a small bowl or ramekin. This will help ensure that the egg stays intact to preserve an unbroken yolk. You can easily pour the egg into the water from the bowl as well.
Use a mixing spoon to create a swirling vortex. Stir to create a vortex.
Stir the water against the edges of the pot until the water continues to swirl on its own. Pour the egg into the middle of the vortex. This method helps to create a more spherical shape as the egg white wraps around itself. This works well if you’re only cooking one poached egg at at time.
See video demonstration below or watch on YouTube.
For a firm white and runny yolk, poach the eggs for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, use a slotted spoon to gently remove the poached egg. Dab with a paper towel to remove excess water and eat immediately.
After the eggs have finished poaching, just place them in an ice water bath and store them in the fridge for 4-5 days. When you’d like to eat them, just add some hot water to a small bowl or cup and add the poached egg until it’s warmed up (about 20 seconds). If you plan to poach a batch of eggs ahead of time and reheat later, keep in mind that reheating them may firm up the egg yolks a little more.
