Poached eggs
Poached eggs are cooked, without the shell, in barely simmering (nearly boiling) water. White should be firm and yolk soft, that's the difficulty. This recipe teaches you how to succeed with three important points.
309 K 3.7/5 (38 reviews)
2 hours 40 min.
Average
2 Poacheds eggs
2 IngredientsLast modified on: January 8th 2013
For 2 Poacheds eggs, you will need:
2 
1 tablespoon white (spirit) vinegar
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 40 min.
Resting: 2 hours
Cooking: 3 min.
All in all: 2 hours 40 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 2 hours
1st important point: Remove 2 Eggs from the fridge at least 2 hours in advance, you should use eggs at room temperature for the cooking time indicated below to work.
Stage 2 - 10 min.
Bring a pan of unsalted water to boil. When boiling, pour in 1 tablespoon white (spirit) vinegar, and reduce heat to a simmering water.
That is the 2nd important point: your water should not be salted (salt disturbs the cooking of egg white), and simmering, not boiling, because big bubbles boiling produce irregular and ugly poached eggs.
Prepare a bowl of cold water.
That is the 2nd important point: your water should not be salted (salt disturbs the cooking of egg white), and simmering, not boiling, because big bubbles boiling produce irregular and ugly poached eggs.
Prepare a bowl of cold water.
Stage 3 - 1 min.
Break the first egg into a cup.
Stage 4 - 1 min.
Slip egg smartly into simmering water...
Stage 5 - 1 min.
...and immediately gather the white around egg yolk to prevent egg spreading out too much.
If you have difficulty doing that, try this tip: with a tablespoon give one or two turn to the pan to make a small vortex in the water, then add egg and the vortex will do the gathering job for you.
If you have difficulty doing that, try this tip: with a tablespoon give one or two turn to the pan to make a small vortex in the water, then add egg and the vortex will do the gathering job for you.
Stage 6 - 3 min.
Leave cook for 2 minutes and 30 seconds (3 minutes maximum). This cooking time is the 3rd important point for a perfect result.
Stage 7 - 1 min.
After this time, remove egg from hot water and put it immediately into the bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.
Leave it in, and continue with all eggs.
Leave it in, and continue with all eggs.
Stage 8 - 2 min.
With scissors, trim off any irregular lumps and trails of egg white to get as round and even an egg as possible.
Stage 9 - 1 min.
Then put on a cloth to dry.
Stage 10 - 20 min.
Do this with all eggs, your soft-boiled eggs are ready.
Remarks
Poached eggs are use in many recipes, cold or hot, but are always delicious.
If you want to reheat them, put in the microwave for 15 seconds, or leave 3 minutes in a bowl of hot tap water (not boiling).
If you make poached eggs in advance, the day before for example, leave to stand in a bowl of salted cold water in the fridge.
White vinegar is used because wine vinegar would stain the egg red.
If you want to reheat them, put in the microwave for 15 seconds, or leave 3 minutes in a bowl of hot tap water (not boiling).
If you make poached eggs in advance, the day before for example, leave to stand in a bowl of salted cold water in the fridge.
White vinegar is used because wine vinegar would stain the egg red.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 10 RDI=5 % | 0 | 10 RDI=2 % | 150 RDI=7 % | 610 RDI: 7 % |
| Per 100 g | 10 RDI=4 % | 0 | 9 RDI=1 % | 130 RDI=6 % | 530 RDI: 6 % |
| Per piece | 6 RDI=2 % | 0 | 5 RDI=1 % | 70 RDI=4 % | 310 RDI: 4 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 2 Poacheds eggs : 0.30 €
- Per Poached eggs : 0.15 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipeSee them all 10
Poached eggs with spinach and Comté milk
The combination of eggs with spinach is always a winner, but this recipe elevates it to another level with the original and delicious flavour added by the Comté milk.
22 K 1 hour 7 min.
Salad lyonnaise
Salad lyonnaise conjures up the cuisine of the French city of Lyon and the region around: traditionally a salad of dandelion leaves with croutons, lardons and poached eggs. Here is a slightly simpler version with shredded lettuce instead of dandelions.
23 K 45 min.
Polenta with spinach and soft-poached egg
A "cake" of fried polenta, blanched spinach and a soft-poached egg on top, with a cream, shallot and white-wine sauce poured over just before serving.
68 K5 1 hour 15 min.
Eggs Benedict
Soft-boiled eggs, served on toast with a slice of fried smoked ham, and the whole covered with Hollandaise sauce.
222 K4 1 hour 4 min.
Eggs Arsène
Eggs Arsène is a rather more rustic version (and definitely more Comtoise in style) of eggs Benedict , that indispensible breakfast dish in Ian Fleming's novels. And you're right, there is a nod to James Bond here.
48 K5 1 hour 2 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Egg
Like these other recipes: Shiitake eggs, Chocolate eclairs, Flamiche, Fried egg in bread, Lemon Mayonnaise, ... See them all 226
White (spirit) vinegar
Like these other recipes: Pickled gherkins, How to prepare broccoli, How to prepare sorrel, Fresh pasta dough, Cervelle de Canut, ... See them all 18
Other recipes you may also like
Candied grapefruit peel
Not really a dessert, more a kind of sweet. After soakiing, strips of grapefruit skin are cooked very slowly to conservethem in sugar. It's a real treat with coffee at the end of a meal.December 20th 2018366 K 14 1 day 1 hour 25 min.
Passion fruit jellies
Usually to make fruit jellies or (fruit "paste"), it's like jam but you need to cook fruit pulp and sugar much longer. Unfortunately, this long cooking is bad for both vitamins and flavour. In this recipe we use a special jam gelling agent, to reduce cooking time as much as possible .July 4th 2018328 K4 2 hours 30 min.
Vanilla sugar
Almost essential in patisserie, you can find it in expensive little sachets of about 10g. It's necessary to distinguish between the vanilla sugar which really contains vanilla, and vanillin sugar, purely chemical which has never seen a vanilla pod. Here is how to quickly make a whole jar full of...August 12th 2018413 K 15 30 min.
Profiteroles
Small choux pastry puffs, filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with a rich smooth chocolate sauce.October 13th 2010306 K 14.5 1 hour 35 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-11-24)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 2 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.