How to Poach an Egg

In Basics by The Bakermama, I teach you step-by-step instructions on How to Perfectly Poach an Egg every time!

Basics by The BakerMama

Welcome to Basics by The BakerMama! I created this how-to series to help beginner cooks hone their skills, make the most of their time in the kitchen, and create great family memories. I hope you enjoy!

Breakfast at the Brown House

Happy Sunday! I hope your weekend has been just as relaxing and/or as busy as you planned it to be.

We live for the weekends over here. Our weekends are usually more busy than relaxing, but with 4 kids expecting relaxation would be naive. Our days of sleeping in until 10 and slowly sipping our lattes while planning out our day are over (for now) and we wouldn’t wish it any other way.

When our kids are up, they’re up! And it’s usually between 6-6:30am. They immediately want a snack, they want to play all the games, they want to get dressed and then they’re ready for breakfast…feed me! feed me! feed me!

Since Brandon and I are night owls and since we both love to sleep in (which at this stage of life 8am is considered “sleeping in” or just getting up naturally instead of having 4 little munchkins right in your face or screaming out your name at 6am) we’ve come up with a plan on the weekends so we each get a morning to sleep a little longer. Sundays are my mornings and it’s just nice to know that one morning a week I get to wake up on my own and usually walk out to the sights and smells of bacon frying, toast toasting, eggs poaching and lots of “mama! mama! mama!”.

Avocado toast with a poached egg has been our Sunday morning ritual for a few years now and Brandon prepares it so perfectly. The toast is toasted perfectly, the avocado is salted and seasoned perfectly and the eggs (the eggs!) are poached oh so perfectly. Ahhhhh, perfection…

How to Perfectly Poach an Egg

Each time Brandon makes this amazingness for us for breakfast and I post a pic on Instagram, I get a flood of comments, messages, and emails asking how he poached the eggs so perfectly. Well, my friends, I finally woke up in time on a Sunday morning to catch him in the act! I photographed and took notes so I can share all his tips and tricks with you. And I’m pretty pumped to know how to perfectly poach an egg myself now.

It’s so easy, but it does require a few special steps to insure tight whites and a golden liquid yolk.

It all starts with good quality eggs.

First, crack the eggs in individual bowls and then carefully drain/strain off the thin watery parts of the white to create that tight white a great poached egg should have.

In the meantime, heat a medium pot of water over medium heat until it’s between 180°-190°F on an instant thermometer.

Now, using the handle of a wooden spoon, gently swirl the water for a few seconds before carefully sliding each egg into the water. The swirling motion keeps the eggs tight and from dropping to the bottom of the pan where they could cook more on one side or overcook.

Next, swirl the water occasionally as the eggs cook. The eggs are ready when the whites are fully set and the yolks are slightly jiggly, about 3-4 minutes depending on how set you like your whites and how runny you want your yolks.

Finally, you’ll carefully lift each egg individually from the water with a slotted spoon and serve immediately.

And that’s all there is to it. Once you make perfectly poached eggs once, you’ll be able to do it every single time. And you’ll want to do it often because they’re just so dang delicious!

Here’s to Sundays that start with perfectly poached eggs for all! Enjoy!

Looking for more Basics by The BakerMama? Try How to Bake a Potato for tried-and-true steps to getting the perfectly baked potato, every time. Or, hop on over to How to Bake Bacon for the most scrumptious, crispy (and camera-ready!) bacon. I hope you find these simple basics helpful! When you make something with the help of my BakerMama’s Basics series, be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see and others can be inspired!

xoxo,

How to {perfectly} Poach an Egg

• Author: Maegan - The BakerMama
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 4 mins
• Total Time: 14 mins
• Yield: 4
• Category: Breakfast

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Description

Step-by-step instructions to perfectly poached eggs every time!

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Ingredients

• 4 large eggs

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Instructions

1. Crack eggs into individual bowls. Using a strainer or small-holed slotted spoon, carefully pour an egg into the spoon and swirl the egg around the strainer draining off any excess or loose watery whites. Return each egg to it’s individual bowl. Repeat with each egg. This step is key to creating that tight white a great poached egg should have.
2. Meanwhile, heat a medium pot of water over medium heat until it’s between 180°-190°F on an instant thermometer. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, gently swirl the water for a few seconds before carefully sliding each egg into the swirling water. The swirling motion keeps the eggs tight and from dropping to the bottom of the pan where they could cook more on one side or overcook.
3. Swirl the water occasionally as the eggs cook. The eggs are ready when the whites are fully set and the yolks are slightly jiggly, about 3-4 minutes depending on how set you like your whites and how runny you want your yolks.
4. Carefully lift each egg individually from the water with a slotted spoon and serve immediately.

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