How to Make Poached Eggs

Learning how to make poached eggs is easier than you’d think. Here’s how long to poach an egg, and a few tips that make for success every time!

When Alex and I first learned to cook, Julia Child gave us some of our best cooking lessons. From her TV kitchen Julia told us (in that delightfully high-pitched voice of hers) that you can make a meal out of any dish by simply putting an egg on it! Salad + egg = meal. Potato + egg = meal, and so on. Poached eggs were Julia’s favorite; she thought it was the “purest and loveliest of ways to cook eggs.” How to make perfect poached eggs? Keep reading for our method.

What is a poached egg?

Poached eggs are cooked in boiling water, outside the shell. This results in just set whites and a delightfully runny yolk. They’re one of the healthiest ways to prepare an egg since no oil is needed during the cooking process. (Same goes for hard boiled and soft boiled.) They can be served in many ways: dressed with hollandaise sauce to make egg Benedict, served on salads, enjoyed on avocado toast, and more.

Tip: Use fresh eggs!

It’s best to use really fresh eggs when you’re poaching eggs. Otherwise you can end up with a mess! Older eggs tend to have whites that spread out in the water instead of staying together. It still tastes good, but looks a little messy. To avoid this, make sure that your eggs are very fresh before making the recipe below.

How to make poached eggs

To make poached eggs, here are the basic steps:

• Heat a small pot of water with a splash of vinegar until it’s almost simmering. (You won’t taste the vinegar, but it helps the egg whites firm up faster and prevents them from dispersing into the water.)
• While the water is gently simmering, crack your egg into a bowl. This does two things: it prevents you from adding a potentially broken yolk into the hot water, and it makes it easier to gently slide the egg into the barely simmering water.
• How long to poach eggs? After you’ve slid each egg into the water, cook the eggs for 4 minutes before removing them with a slotted spoon and draining them.

Troubleshooting the poaching process

Your first few attempts at making poached eggs might not be perfect, but it gets easier with time! If you’re still struggling after a few tries, do the following:

• Make sure you’re using fresh eggs. The whites of fresh eggs stay together better when they hit the water.
• Swirl the water with a spoon before you add the eggs. Gently swirling the water with a spoon just before sliding them can help the whites stay together while cooking.

Favorite poached egg recipes

Once you’ve mastered the process, how to serve them? Here are some of our favorite ways to serve this delicacy:

• Avocado Toast with Poached Egg Add turmeric to the water to get a bright yellow poached egg! Use it to top avocado toast for an easy, healthy meal.
• Whole Wheat Chive Waffles Eggs on savory waffles? Yes, please. These cheddar and chive savory waffles are perfectly fluffy, topped with white cheddar cheese and a gooey yolk.
• Poached Eggs and Potatoes This colorful hash is perfect for breakfast, brunch or even dinner, featuring both sweet potatoes and red potatoes for a savory sweet hash.
• Healthy Rice Bowl Substitute poached for fried in this delicious vegetarian dinner recipe, a rice bowl with kale, red pepper, and portabello mushrooms.

Other egg techniques

Once you’ve mastered poached eggs, you’ve only got a few more egg techniques to master…and they’re even easier! Here are the top egg techniques to know:

• Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Here’s how to hard boil eggs to perfection! Or try them in the Instant Pot.
• Perfect Soft Boiled Eggs This cook time results in a golden runny yolk and firm whites every time. Or try them in the Instant Pot.
• Easy Omelette The other basic egg skill to master is an omelette! Here’s how to make this French style breakfast.

This poached eggs recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

Poached Eggs

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(9 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

4.7 from 9 reviews

• Author: a Couple Cooks
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 4 minutes
• Total Time: 9 minutes
• Yield: 4 eggs 1x

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Description

Learning how to make poached eggs is easier than you’d think. Here’s how long to poach an egg, and a few tips that make for success every time!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 4 fresh eggs
• Splash of vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Equipment: Small bowl, large skillet, slotted spoon, tea towel

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Instructions

1. Fill a large skillet with 1 1/2 inches of water. Add a pinch of salt and a splash of vinegar. Heat over medium-high heat until the water just starts to bubble, just below a simmer (about 190°F). Be careful to maintain the temperature throughout the cooking process and ensure the water does not boil.
2. Crack each egg into a small bowl, then carefully slide each egg into the water. Make sure to give plenty of space between each egg. The egg whites will spread out a bit as they hit the water, then soon start to form up.
3. Allow the eggs to cook for 4 minutes, until the whites set. Turn off the heat. Remove the eggs with a fine mesh sieve or slotted spoon, then place them on a  plate lined with a paper towel or clean dish towel to allow the poaching water to drain. If desired, trim the edges before serving.

• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: how to poach an egg

Looking for more egg recipes?

Here are a few more recipes using eggs — cooked in all different ways!

• Easy Deviled Eggs Simply classic and they taste amazing! They use both Greek yogurt and mayo to make the perfect flavor.
• Nicoise Salad Recipe This French main dish salad is legendary: for good reason! Nicoise salad is protein-packed and makes a stunning lunch or dinner (glass of wine optional).
• Egg Pizza with Scallions Eggs, Pecorino cheese and scallions make a fine pizza pie.
• Egg Salad Sandwich This tasty classic salad has a healthy spin using Greek yogurt.
• Egg Recipes for Dinner Try these other tasty egg recipes!

Last updated: June 2020

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