The Perfect Poached Egg
I’ve never met an egg I didn’t like. Poached, scrambled, sunny-side up, soft boiled, jammy, over-easy, over-medium, (over anything really) – eggs are my favorite food. They are like the food world’s triple threat: they’re delicious on their own but can also be sweet (don’t even get me started on soufflés), and delectably savory.
I digress. So as an egg-lover, something I’ve always wanted to master was the poached egg. They’re on every brunch menu but for some reason I always thought they were so difficult to make at home. I’ve read countless articles about techniques for creating the perfect whirlpool for a poached egg, read forums about the best liquid to add to the water to help the whites gather (vinegar, baking soda, etc.). I even bought an egg poaching machine. Oy. It all seemed insurmountable.
But one fateful day, I decided to throw all of that out the window and just start with the basics – an egg, a pot of boiling water and a slotted spoon. 3-5 minutes later, I had the perfect poached egg and I was elated. Now, I can’t stop making them. I’ve been adding poached eggs to everything I can get my hands on–toast, salad, sandwiches, and even on top of spaghetti.
Don’t be nervous, just go with it! You got this!
Ingredients:
1 egg
Boiling Water
Flaky Sea Salt (I love Maldon)
What else you’ll need:
A pot
A small bowl
Slotted Spoon (a fancy word for a spoon with holes in it)
What to do:
Bring a pot of water to a boil (can be small, can be large, whatever your heart desires) and have a plate ready nearby.
Crack an egg into a bowl (this step, for me, is the most important)
When the water boils (and I mean a rolling boil, where the bubbles are big and constant), drop the egg into the water. The egg will start to cook instantly.
Use your slotted spoon to nudge the water around the egg and get it to flip over. You may even notice that the boiling water does the flip on its own.
When the egg is looking about-ready, lift it to the surface with your slotted spoon. Touch the center of the yolk gently with your finger. It should feel bouncy and look like a poached egg.
Literally, that’s it. Transfer your egg to a plate. Sprinkle it with some sea salt and eat it.