Poached Eggs
Egg white comes in two layers: the thick one clings around the yolk, the thin one shreds into the water as those ragged wisps. The simplest fix is to pour it off through a sieve. After that it is all temperature — the water should tremble, never boil.
- Prep
- 6 min
- Cook
- 4 min
- Total
- 10 min
- Servings
- 2
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 165 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Cider vinegar or plain white vinegar work just as well. Avoid balsamic, which stains the white.
Makes: 4 eggs, serves 2
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Check how fresh they are
Lower an egg into a glass of cold water: a fresh one lies flat on the bottom, a week-old one stands on end, an old one floats. Only the first two poach well, because old eggs are mostly thin white.
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Step 2: Strain off the thin white
Crack each egg into a fine sieve set over a cup and wait 15 seconds. The watery white drains away — that is exactly what shreds in the pan.
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Step 3: Heat the water
Fill a wide pan with 8 cm of water, add the salt and vinegar, bring it to the boil, then drop to about 90 °C: single bubbles rising from the base, the surface barely moving.
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Step 4: Why the vinegar
Acid speeds up the setting of the white, so the edge firms before it can spread. One tablespoon per two litres is plenty; more and the egg tastes sour.
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Step 5: Lower the eggs in
Stir a whirlpool and pour the egg into the centre — worth doing for a single egg. For four, simply slide them in one by one from a cup held at the surface; a whirlpool will have died by the second egg anyway.
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Step 6: Time them
Three minutes for a runny yolk, three and a half for jammy, four for nearly firm. Start the clock the moment the egg hits the water.
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Step 7: Lift and tidy
Remove with a slotted spoon, rest on kitchen paper for 10 seconds and trim the straggly edges with scissors. Season just before serving.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Boiling water is the enemy: the bubbles tear the white apart. If the pan starts to rumble, add a splash of cold water.
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Tip
You can poach ahead: stop 30 seconds early, drop the eggs into iced water, then reheat for a minute in hot water before serving.
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Swap
Cider vinegar or plain white vinegar work just as well. Avoid balsamic, which stains the white.
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Storage
Up to two days in cold water in the fridge. Longer and the white turns slippery and flavourless.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 2 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 165 kcal | 330 kcal |
| Protein | 13 g | 26 g |
| Fat | 11 g | 22 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1 g | 2 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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