A poached egg is one of life’s more refined pleasures, elevating the humble egg to a thing of luxury perfect for the weekend.
It’s not as basic as the boiled egg, while not being as messy or oily as the fried version, or as buttery as the scrambled. But it still retains all that silky indulgence when your knife cuts into the yolk and sends it oozing out over a nice piece of sourdough toast or avocado.
But it’s also much harder to poach an egg well than it is to cook it in any other way, and it’s all too easy to end up with a lumpy, straggly mess as the egg white spreads out in the water.
But if you’ve been avoiding making your own poached eggs because you think it’s only for the professionals then this technique might be the game-changer you’re looking for, and you’ll be able to cook a poached egg every bit as tasty and good-looking as those produced in professional kitchens. Here’s what you need to do.
1. You will need a rounded ladle big enough to hold your egg once cracked open.
2. Boil water in a saucepan until simmering — there needs to be enough water for you to be able to dip in the ladle.
3. Lightly oil the inside of the ladle.
4. Gently crack your egg into the ladle.
5. Gently place the ladle into the boiling water, carefully allowing the water to seep into the ladle (do not let it rush in or it will break apart the egg white).
6. It should take around three minutes for the egg to be perfectly cooked — the white should be opaque and the yolk still appear slightly jiggly.
7. Use a slotted spoon or similar to remove the poached egg from the ladle and serve. It should have a perfectly set white and a delicious runny yolk.
