Poached eggs are a delightful indulgence. The joy of breaking into a perfectly poached egg and watching the smooth yolk spill onto a thick slice of toast can’t be beaten.
However, compared to frying or boiling, poaching eggs can be a bit more challenging. As a result, many of us only indulge in them when dining out for brunch at a cafe or restaurant.
But with this technique, you can master the art of poaching eggs just like a professional chef. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll abandon those tricky methods such as creating a whirlpool effect in the water before dropping your egg in. There’s also no need to fret about adding vinegar to the water, as some recipes suggest.
The only catch with this method is that it demands your undivided attention over the pan, leaving little room for multitasking while your egg cooks. But it’s worth it.
How to poach the perfect egg
To poach an egg with a ladel, follow these simple steps:
- Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer.
- Spray the ladle with non-stick cooking spray or brush it with oil. This step is crucial — the oil prevents the egg from sticking to the ladle and if you don’t do it you will just have a ladle full of burned egg that will take you ages to scrub off (and you’ll have nothing edible left)
- Crack the egg into the ladle.
- Gently lower the ladle into the simmering water.
- Allow water to gently seep into the ladle in small amounts, but don’t let it rush in — if it rushes in it will break up the yolk and cause the pan to become an uncontrollable, bubbly mess
- Cook the egg for about three minutes, or until the egg white is opaque and the yolk is still a little jiggly.
- Remove the ladle from the water and gently tease out the egg. You should have a beautifully-shaped and rounded egg.
- Season with salt and enjoy.
