How to Make Perfect Poached Eggs Every Time

I’m going to go ahead and jump straight to the tag line – the key to the perfect poached eggs, is in their freshness.

The only way to make great poached eggs is to have really, really fresh, organic eggs. That’s it, that’s the secret. Next steps are important but trust me, if you don’t have fresh eggs it’s just not going to work. And I can not highlight it enough.

Ingredients

2 fresh organic eggs
1 tbsp of distilled white vinegar

Instructions

Once you got your hands on the freshest eggs you can possibly find, crack them into individual ramekins or small bowls. It’s alright to put two eggs in one ramekins (not more!), but always better to use separate ones. This helps to slide the egg into the water more gently and keeps your fingers safe from boiling water – win win.

There are many articles that will tell you that you should put your egg through a sieve before you pour them into ramekins – that gets rid of the loose egg whites. I’ve tried that a few times and personally, I think that it’s more trouble than it’s worth. You might end-up disturbing the egg white and it just creates more dishes.

Then, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and then reduce to a light simmer – it’s important not to have it on a rolling boil, you don’t want your eggs to go crazy in there, and they want space too.

Add a generous splash of distilled vinegar. I used to skip this step as I was afraid that my eggs will taste of vinegar, and my eggs rarely turned out perfect. But once I tried it, I was surprised to see that the eggs do not taste of vinegar, and it really keeps the eggs from falling apart! So I’ve been happily using it ever since.

Another tip that I’ve learned recently, is that you should not salt the water. Salt increases the density of the water and causes the egg white to break.

As next step, using a whisk, vigorously swirl the water around edges of the pan until it creates a whirl in the middle.

Let the whirl calm down a bit before you add the eggs – otherwise your eggs will go all over the place! Once it’s just lightly swirling in the middle, gently slide down the eggs from the ramekins into the water. Now let the whirl that you created work it’s magic – slowly turning the eggs around itself and creating that perfect shape.

Never make more than 4 eggs at the time – some people will even tell you not more than two, but who has the time for that? 😀

The eggs should be ready after about 3 to 3.5 minutes – I never measure the time though (or anything else when I cook, nope, measuring is just not for me). Lift the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and poke them gently with your finger – if the egg yolk feels wobbly and the egg white feels firm to the touch – you know they are ready.

Take the eggs out, getting rid of any loose bits of white, and put them on a paper towel to dry for a few seconds.

That’s it! There’s your perfect poached egg!

Now put it on a piece of toast, or in your porridge (yes, you can put eggs in porridge!), or top a sliced avocado with it – whatever you fancy.

Do not be discouraged if you don’t get the perfect results on your first try – as with everything in cooking, it’s all about practice & patience.

You can also view the video tutorial on my instagram account in the story highlights!

Let me know if you try it and how it turns out! 💛

Bonus – My Recipe for Poached Eggs on Avocado, doused with Turmeric-Garlic Sizzle

One of my favourite ways to have poached eggs, is on a piece of crunchy toast with some smashed avocado, topped with freshly cracked pepper and chili flakes.

And, recently I’ve discovered Andy Baraghani’s recipe for Avocados in a Turmeric-Garlic Sizzle – add some of that sizzle and you have yourself a gourmet breakfast!

Ingredients
(for two)

4 fresh organic eggs
2 pieces of toast (or even better – some freshly baked sourdough bread)
1 big, ripe avocado
1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp turmeric
A pinch of chili flakes
Salt & freshly cracked pepper

Instructions

Scoop the flesh out of the avocado into a bowl, add the lemon juice, salt and freshly cracked pepper. Smash and whisk everything with a fork. Set aside.

Put a small skillet on medium-low heat and pour in the olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and the turmeric. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until golden and toasty for about 3 min. Put off the heat and mix in a small pinch of chili flakes – the quantity is entirely up to you and how spicy you like it.

Meanwhile, prepare your poached eggs using the recipe above and toast your bread.

Once your eggs are ready, spread the avocado mash over the toast, top each piece of toast with two poached eggs and pour over the garlic-turmeric oil.

Enjoy 💛