Poaching eggs
Fresh eggs, water just below a simmer and three minutes on the clock. Get those three things right and the rest is easy.
Why it works
An egg white is not one thing. Around the yolk sits a thick, jelly-like layer of albumen, and outside that a thin, watery layer. The thick white holds its shape in hot water and wraps the yolk. The thin white runs off in all directions and turns into the ragged wisps that cloud the pan. As an egg ages, the thick white breaks down into thin, carbon dioxide escapes through the shell and the white becomes more alkaline and looser. That is why a fresh egg poaches neatly and an old one spreads like a jellyfish.
You can help any egg by removing the thin white before it reaches the water. Crack the egg into a fine sieve over a bowl and let it sit for 20 to 30 seconds. The watery part drains through and the firm white stays put around the yolk. This one step does more for a neat poached egg than vinegar or a whirlpool.
Heat matters as much as freshness. Egg white starts to set at around 62 °C and is fully firm by about 80 °C, while the yolk thickens from about 65 °C. Water at 85 to 90 °C, with small bubbles on the base and only the odd one rising, sets the outside quickly while the yolk warms gently. A rolling boil tears the white apart and toughens the edges before the centre is ready.
Vinegar lowers the pH of the water, which makes the outer white set a little faster. It tightens the edges slightly. It does not rescue a stale egg, and too much leaves a sour taste and a rubbery, wrinkled surface. Most cooks use a splash, about a tablespoon per litre, or none at all when the eggs are very fresh.
What you need
- Wide shallow pan: A sauté pan or deep frying pan with 6 to 8 cm of water gives room for several eggs and is easy to keep at a bare simmer.
- Fine sieve: Drains the thin, watery white so the egg holds together in the pan.
- Small cups or ramekins: One per egg, so each slides into the water gently and you can work quickly.
- Slotted spoon: For lifting the eggs out and letting the water run off.
- Kitchen paper: A folded sheet on a plate dries the base of each egg before it goes on toast.
- Probe thermometer: Useful until you can read the water by eye.
- Bowl of iced water: Only needed if you are poaching ahead.
Step by step
Heat the water
Fill a wide pan with 6 to 8 cm of water and bring it to the boil, then turn the heat down until the surface is almost still. You want small bubbles on the base and only the occasional one breaking the surface, about 85 to 90 °C. Add a splash of vinegar now if you are using it. Leave out the salt; season the eggs once they are cooked.
Tip: If the water creeps back towards a boil, pull the pan half off the burner rather than fiddling with the dial.
Sieve each egg
Crack one egg into a fine sieve set over a bowl. Swirl it gently and let the thin white drain for 20 to 30 seconds. Tip the egg into a small cup and repeat with the rest.
Tip: Crack onto a flat surface, not the rim of the bowl, so shell does not end up in the sieve.
Decide on a whirlpool
For one or two eggs, stir the water briskly to make a gentle vortex and drop the egg into the centre. The current wraps the white around the yolk. For three or more, skip the whirlpool, because each new egg disturbs the last. A sieved egg in calm water holds its shape well without it.
Slide the eggs in
Lower the lip of the cup right to the surface of the water and tip the egg in gently. Add the eggs one after another around the edge of the pan, clockwise, so you know which went in first. Six eggs is the most a 28 cm pan handles comfortably.
Tip: Start the timer when the first egg goes in and take them out in the same order.
Cook for about 3 minutes
A large egg straight from the fridge needs about 3 minutes for a set white and runny yolk. Leave it alone for the first minute while the white sets. After that, nudge it off the base with a spoon if it has stuck. Keep the water at a bare simmer the whole time.
Tip: Each extra egg cools the water a little. With a full pan, add 20 to 30 seconds.
Check for doneness
Lift the egg with the slotted spoon and press the white beside the yolk with a fingertip. It should feel set, with no clear jelly, while the yolk wobbles freely. If the white still looks translucent, return it to the water for 30 seconds.
Drain and trim
Hold the egg on the slotted spoon over the pan for a few seconds, then rest the spoon on folded kitchen paper to dry the base. Trim any straggly edges with kitchen scissors or the side of a spoon for a neat oval. Season with flaky salt and black pepper and serve at once.
Tip: Water left under the egg soaks into toast and makes it soggy, so always blot.
Timing for a large egg straight from the fridge
| Time | White | Yolk |
|---|
| 2 min | Just set on the outside, soft near the yolk | Warm and fully liquid |
| 2 min 30 s | Set, still very tender | Runny and warm through |
| 3 min | Set throughout | Runny, the classic poached egg |
| 3 min 30 s | Firm | Thick and starting to turn jammy at the edge |
| 4 min | Firm | Jammy, still soft in the centre |
| 5 min | Firm | Mostly set, fudgy |
| 6 min | Firm, slightly rubbery | Set through |
Troubleshooting
The pan fills with white wisps and the egg looks like a jellyfish.
The egg is old or the thin white went into the water. Sieve each egg first, and buy the freshest eggs you can. A fresh egg sinks and lies flat in a glass of water; one that stands on end is older and better for scrambling.
The white is tough and rubbery at the edges.
The water was too hot, or there was too much vinegar. Keep the water just below a simmer and use no more than a tablespoon of vinegar per litre.
The egg stuck to the bottom of the pan.
The water was too shallow or too cool when the egg went in. Use at least 6 cm of water and let it come back to a bare simmer before adding the next egg. After the first minute, slide a spoon underneath to free it.
The yolk was set when I cut into it.
It stayed in too long, or a small egg was cooked for the large-egg time. Use the table as a starting point, then press the egg before lifting it out. If you poach ahead, take the eggs out 30 seconds early to allow for reheating.
The white was still clear and slimy near the yolk.
The water had cooled, often because too many eggs went in at once. Cook fewer at a time or add 20 to 30 seconds. Check by pressing the white next to the yolk before you serve.
The egg tastes sour.
Too much vinegar. Cut it right down or leave it out, especially with fresh eggs. If you like it, a quick dip in clean hot water after cooking rinses off the taste.
Runny eggs and vulnerable groups
A runny yolk has not reached a temperature that reliably kills salmonella. For most healthy adults the risk is low with fresh eggs from a well-run supply.
- Pregnant women, babies and young children, older people and anyone with a weakened immune system should eat eggs cooked until the yolk is firm, unless national advice says otherwise.
- Keep eggs refrigerated and use them by the best-before date.
- Cool eggs poached ahead quickly in iced water, refrigerate them and use within two days.
