Poached eggs are delicious. The egg white is nice and firm on the outside, and just firm enough to include a golden yolk that is nice and creamy. If you love poached eggs as much as I do, then, of course, you want to make them perfectly, time after time. Today I’ll walk you through how to do that.
Few people make them, a shame!
Poached eggs are often served, especially in restaurants. However, few people make them themselves at home. But why? Most say it is very difficult to get that perfect shape without crazy white strings. But there are indeed a number of methods you can use to make perfect poached eggs. So today I will tell you exactly how to do that.
How to make a poached egg
You make a poached egg like this:
- Fill a saucepan halfway with water
- Break an egg into a ladle or ladle and lower it gently
- Bring the water to the boil
- When the water boils for a minute, remove the egg from the bottom with a spatula
- Let boil for a few more minutes
- Remove the egg with a spatula and enjoy!
Tips for the best poached eggs
How do you make poached eggs perfect every time? I’ll give you some tips on what works and what doesn’t:
Salt
I have found that adding a pinch of salt to the water causes more white strings. Salt will increase the density of the water, making egg whites float more. In other words, it’s better not to use salt for a poached egg.
Vinegar
This is optional, but it works well. I was also a bit sceptical at first, as I don’t like water that tastes like vinegar. It turns out that you have to add a lot of vinegar if you want your egg to really taste like vinegar. So it’s not too bad. However, it does help hold the egg whites together well, so in that respect, a great option.
The right time
Timing is key. Especially for poached eggs. It is best to poach eggs for between 3 and 4 minutes. Some prefer an egg poached for only 3 minutes, while others prefer an egg poached for 4 minutes. Many often poach slightly shorter, and many more often longer. Then a poached egg is not tasty.
This is the most common mistake that causes poached eggs to be unappetising or fail. Keep the 3 to 4 minutes and they always succeed. When choosing either 3 or 4 minutes, it again depends on what you like better, a soft egg or a slightly firmer poached egg. Just try both!
Poaching eggs in advance?
Can I poach my egg in advance? Yes, you can. After the eggs have been poached, you can store them in a bowl of ice water for up to 2 days. Then, when you want to eat them, add a little hot water to a small bowl until the egg has warmed up. This takes 20 to 30 seconds.
A deep pan
After first trying it with an ordinary pan, you can also try it with a deep pan. Then you will get a bulbous egg. The reason is that as the egg falls into the water, the yolk sinks first and then the white. You can poach eggs either in a deep or shallow pan, but in a shallow pan you will get a flat shape. Which is a bit similar to a fried egg.
So it depends on what you prefer. I myself prefer a round poached egg that is a bit teardrop-shaped, so I use a deeper pan.
Sieve
This is a handy tip for a perfectly poached egg! When you break an egg you notice that there are two types of white, firm and liquid. That liquid white keeps a poached egg from becoming firm. Put the egg in a fine-meshed sieve and this is how you strain out the thin, liquid egg white. This means the firmer white remains and this will coat the yolk.
This is really recommended, it makes a poached egg a lot firmer and the poached egg does not become less tasty as a result. On the contrary, it gets better because poaching works better, and the flavour will be a lot nicer.