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Poached eggs

  • Eggs
  • Water
  • 1 T White Vinegar
  1. Simmer water and vinegar in a saucepan. Maintain a bare simmer for the duration of the operation.
  2. Poach eggs. Break the egg, hold it as closely over the water as possible, and let it fall in. Immediately and gently push the white over the yolk with a wooden spoon for 2 to 3 seconds. Poach 4 minutes.
  3. Shock egg. Gently transfer egg to cold water.
Why shock the poached egg in cold water?

Two reasons:

  1. The cold water stops the cooking process.
  2. The cold water rinses any lingering vinegar clinging to the poached egg.
How do I prepare poached eggs ahead of time?

Poached eggs can remain for several hours in cold water. They can also be drained and refrigerated, but I don't recommend it if you can avoid it.

How do I reheat a poached egg?

Trim off any trailing bits of white with knife. Place them in hot salted water for 30 seconds to hea them through. Remove with a slotted spoon. Holding a folded towel under the spoon, roll the egg back and forth to drain it, and it is ready to serve.

  1. Child, Julia, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck. Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume 1. New York, NY: Knopf, 2001. ↩