How to poach an egg

There are many ways to enjoy eggs, whether it’s scrambled, fried or boiled. If you’re looking for a healthier way to cook your eggs, poaching is a great method.

If you’ve previously shone away from poaching because you’re worried the egg won’t stay together or, you don’t have the right tools, then here’s a great guide about how to poach an egg in water. Best of all, all you’ll need is a pan, some vinegar to keep the egg whites together, and your egg (of course) – no fancy poaching devices! Check out the directions and video below.

Poaching an egg in water

1. Put some water in a pan then bring it to the boil.
2. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat on the hob to the lowest setting (ensure there are no bubbles but the water continues to steam).
3. Add a good few dashes of vinegar, then with a spoon, create a fast spinning whirlpool in the water.
4. Whilst the water is still spinning, carefully crack your egg into the centre of the whirlpool (the vinegar and spinning of the water will keep the egg together).
5. Leave for 4 minutes if you like your egg yolk soft boiled, or 6-8 minutes if you like them hard.
6. Then remove the egg from the pan with a large slotted spoon.

Quality of the egg

When you poach an egg, it’s also important to consider the age and quality of the egg. Eggs that are fresher and have a thicker egg white will always taste better and poach easier – especially when poached directly in water. Here are a couple of points worth considering when choosing your eggs:

• When poaching, don’t use eggs that are old. Egg whites lose their thickness with age and will have a generally thinner consistency – so try to use the freshest eggs you can get your hands on wherever possible.
• Consider where your eggs have come from. Free range eggs are of higher quality because the chickens are free to roam and therefore able to eat natural foods as part of their diet – producing a better egg with a thicker egg white. Or even better, if you know someone who keeps chickens, or if you can get eggs from a local farm, you’ll have the perfect egg to poach in water. Who knows, you may even get a double yolk!

You can also check out my video on how to poach an egg in water below.