Poached eggs are a weekend staple taking you from breakfast through to brunch, and can even make a delicious addition to a dinnertime dish. But so often, getting a poached egg exactly right can leave people scratching their heads. Posting to Reddit, one person expressed their frustration at trying to achieve the perfect egg.
“Every time I try to make poached eggs it could be either good or bad even though I do the exact same steps,” they wrote.
“Sometimes the egg white breaks off and turns the water unclear (almost milky?) Does anyone have a consistent, fail-proof recipe that I could follow?” [SIC]
Luckily, a former brunch chef stepped in to reveal six simple steps to making a “restaurant-quality” poached egg. While vinegar is a point of contention when it comes to poached eggs, the chef said that this is a step they recommend.
“Here’s what I’ve done to consistently make restaurant-quality poached eggs thousands of times as a former brunch chef,” wrote the chef.
The chef recommends beginning with a large pot of water and 4oz or approximately half a cup of white vinegar. White vinegar is often recommended as the acidity helps to increase the rate of denaturing and ultimately helps to egg hold its shape better.
The chef continued: “Bring to a boil and reduce to a whisper, so the surface of the water is barely bubbling like you’re going to cook potatoes for gnocchi.
“You can crack your eggs directly into the pot as long as you’re confident in your egg-cracking ability.”
Though some people like to create a whirlpool effect in the water, the chef advises against this. “Don’t stir the water,” they wrote.
“In my experience this just causes the egg whites to expand more.”
Whether your egg is “done” depends on the consistency of your desired yolk. The chef explained: “It really depends on the temperature of your water, but a few minutes should be all you need for the whites to set, add a few more minutes for medium poached mostly set yolks, or 10 to 15 minutes for hard-poached.”
Once you are satisfied with the consistency of your poached egg, use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the pot and transfer them to an ice bath if you are not using them immediately.
As an added tip, sourced from French chef and author Jacques Pépin, the chef suggested: “You can trim any excess whites from your poached eggs to make them prettier as needed.”
