How to make perfect poached eggs

Take your brunch-making skills to the next level

When you browse through people’s brunch pictures on Instagram on any given day, you’ll likely come across a plethora of aesthetically pleasing poached eggs that have been cooked to perfection.

As delicious as poached eggs may taste when you eat them alongside smoked salmon, smashed avocado and sourdough toast, knowing how to make them for yourself is another story entirely.

The Independent spoke to several experts about how to make perfect poached eggs so that you can take your culinary skills to the next level when serving up a nutritious breakfast at home.

Ingredients and apparatus

Of course, it goes without saying that in order to make poached eggs, you’re going to need eggs.

However, according to Fabrice Lasnon, executive chef at The Savoy, making poached eggs using fresh eggs that have been refrigerated will lead to the best results.

Furthermore, Lasnon recommends using a deep pot rather than a shallow pot, as doing so will help the eggs stay in shape.

“The deep pot helps to coagulate the egg white and form the shape of an egg when the egg rises,” he says.

Method

First, fill your large pot with a generous amount of water and bring it to boil on the stove.

If you want to give your poached eggs a dash of flavour, Richard Carter, executive chef at Benugo, suggests adding small amounts of vinegar and salt to the pan of boiling water.

Once the water has begun boiling, use a spoon to spin the water and create a mini whirlpool.

Next, crack the eggs into the pot of swirling water.

“Crack the eggs (the fresher the better) into the centre of the the pot so that the whites wrap themselves around the yolk and let them cook for three minutes… magic!” says Over Under Coffee executive chef Connie Grossman.

At Dead Dolls House, head chef Danielle Napier uses an old-fashioned method to make poached eggs, which involves steaming the eggs at 63 degrees Celsius for 43 minutes until they form the shape of a boiled egg.

Napier then cracks the eggs into white vinegar before dropping them into simmering water.

To serve

Once your poached eggs have been cooked, Carter advises letting them rest for 30 seconds before serving them hot, sprinkling them with some rock salt for a finishing touch.

If you don’t want to eat your poached eggs right away, Lasnon suggests storing them in cold water once they’ve been cooked.

Then, to reheat the eggs, place them in a shallow pot for approximately three minutes at a temperature of 65 to 80 degrees Celsius before digging in.