This is a simple tutorial I put together for how to poach eggs. Poaching isn’t too difficult, but it can be tricky if you’ve never tried it before. You will quickly get the hang of the process by following these simple steps.
You can also find my step-by-step tutorial for Fluffy, Moist, Scrambled Eggs here!
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How to Poach Eggs
Learn a simple, foolproof method for poaching eggs to perfect doneness with a step-by-step photo tutorial.
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Ingredients
- Eggs
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
NOTES
You will also need: small saucepan, water, spatula or wooden spoon, slotted spoon, paper towels
Instructions
- Fill a small saucepan with a few inches of water. Heat it on the stove till it is very hot, on the edge of boiling-- but not quite. The water should be "shivering" with heat, but not actually boiling. A few bubbles rising to the surface here and there is fine. You want to keep the water at this hot even temperature throughout the poaching process-- you may need to adjust the heat as you cook the eggs to keep it from boiling or getting too cool.
- Crack your first egg into a small dish. This will help you add the egg to the water more quickly and smoothly, which will help it come together better when it's poaching.
- Pour 1 tbsp of vinegar into the hot water. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir the water rapidly in one direction to create a "whirlpool" in the center of the water.With your other hand, pour the egg from the dish quickly into the center of the whirlpool, removing the spoon or spatula just before you pour the egg in.
- The egg will look messy at first. Leave it alone to swirl in the center of the whirlpool-- it will eventually come together, with the white forming a cohesive package around the yolk. A few small streams of white coming off of the egg are normal, and can be removed later for neatness.Let the egg cook in the hot water for 3 to 4 minutes, constantly monitoring the temperature of the water to make sure it stays hot but doesn't boil. Most people like a poached egg with a runny center, which will be done in around 3 minutes.
- The egg is ready when the white creates a solid opaque membrane over the top of the yolk, and the egg wobbles a little when nudged with a spoon. It shouldn't appear too liquid or delicate when nudged; if it does, return it to the water and let it continue cooking a while longer.
- I tend to like my egg poached more well done, and usually take it out around 4-5 minutes, so the center is still slightly runny but also slightly solid. This is a matter of personal preference, though.When the egg is ready, remove it from the hot water using a slotted spoon.
- Place it on a layer of paper towels to drain.
- Repeat process for remaining eggs. After cooking a few eggs, I like to skim the water periodically with a wire mesh strainer to get rid of any egg white particles, so they don't interfere with the egg poaching process.
- You can poach several eggs up to an hour advance, keeping them on the paper towels until ready to serve. To reheat before serving, heat up water in a larger pot to the same shivering heat that you poached the eggs in, and return the eggs to the water. Let them reheat for 1 minute before serving.
- Undercooked Egg Note: Use caution in consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs due to the slight risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, use only fresh, properly refrigerated, clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
How to Poach Eggs
Amount Per Serving
Calories 65
Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 163mg54%
Sodium 62mg3%
Potassium 60mg2%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 240IU5%
Calcium 25mg3%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Note: Nutrition facts above are for 1 egg.
Thank you! Perfect poached eggs at last!
I decided to try poaching all three eggs at a time. Just as good a one at a time, thankfully.
I like your website and easy to follow recipes
Looks delicious. Thank you for your tips/instructions. Gotta go try this now. Hungry!!
I like to fill a stainless steel bowl halfway with HOT-HOT tap water, and put each egg into this bowl after it has been poached, to stay hot. Once I’ve finished poaching all my eggs, I pat each one dry with a paper towel, as I’m placing them onto the prepared English muffin. The other eggs stay in the hot water until I’m ready to dry them, one by one. I’ve also read that you can poach eggs a day ahead and refrigerate them (in cold water after cooling them completely), and then heat them again the next morning.
Hi Auntie Carolyn! I have an Aunt Carol. 🙂 Great tips. I would just be careful about refrigerating partially cooked/poached eggs. Hard boiled and poached eggs tend to spoil very quickly in the refrigerator. For food safety, it is a safer bet to serve them the same day you cook them.
Enjoy learning your interesting suggestions. And, of course, the wonderful recipes!
I was so elated to find you add vinegar to your poached eggs! I’ve never found anyone else that does (restaurants included). My grandmother taught me to add a splash of white vinegar to the water when poaching eggs because it not only enhances the flavor of the eggs, but causes the whites to envelop the yokes.
I love that I’ve found a fantastic website that has so many of the traditional dishes I grew up with! Great job & thank you!
Thanks Dayna! I really feel the vinegar does make a difference. Just a splash will do it!
Hi Tori,
Just wanted to say I love the site and appreciate all your recipes. I have learned a lot of new ones and picked up a few tricks for recipes I already knew, ie swirling the water around when making the poached eggs and draining them on a paper towel. Great details I never thought of!
I usually just dump two or three in there at once. I get the water spinning pretty good, then Plop. They poach up very nicely.
I toast bread and cut it into small cubes, as we would do for soft-boiled. Then drop the poached eggs on top and mix the whole thing up.
Yum, breakfast.
Thanks for the details, I don’t know why, but the whole process made me think of conceiving a child, lol.