Skillet Poached Eggs Recipe (2024)

I have a poached egg (on an English muffin) almost every morning, prepared as suggested byGenevieve Ko, but with a slight difference. I put the un-cracked egg in a mug, then pour boiling water over it and let it sit fully submerged for 10-20 seconds before cracking it into a small measuring cup and slipping it into simmering (never boiling) water. The egg is coddled into shape and the mug is warmed for coffee.

I have never understood why people put vinegar in the water when poaching eggs -- unless they want the eggs to taste of vinegar. I've poached eggs for breakfast for decades. There are a few tricks:1. Use very fresh eggs.2. Use a wide, shallow pan.3. Don't use too much water -- my measure is up to my second knuckle.4. Turn off the heat and wait for the bubbles to subside before gently cracking the eggs directly into the water.5. Cover the pan until done.

My minor variation is that I use tarragon vinegar. It imparts a very faint but nice taste (barely a hint) to the eggs.

I've never been able to properly poach an egg until now. Great technique!

Not I. I have been blotting the eggs with paper towels for years; I have been served too many where the water dilutes hollandaise in eggs benedict or any other dish. One could use a kitchen tea towel rather than the paper towels in the interest of the environment.

Martha Stewart taught me to put my poached egg on the heel of a loaf of bread when removing the egg from the pan. The water drains on to the heel of bread and the egg can then be moved to the toast.

We can all do without paper towels.

I like my technique better. Boil 1/2 inch water in small nonstick sauté pan, gingerly crack two eggs, lower heat and cover, cook approx. 2 mins. The bonus here is the eggs will gently stick so you can pour off the remaining water, then use a rubber scraper to dislodge them onto the buttered toast

I have been poaching eggs since I was 9. Nothing fancy. Boil water in a small skillet. Crack eggs and drop directly into the water. Usually two but definitely no more than four, as that drops the temp too much. Boil gently until done. Remove will a slotted spoon. The whites don't disintegrate or run into each other if you have good quality eggs. I've never used vinegar or cups or anything. I daresay mine look a lot better than the picture. I don't get what all the fuss is about.

Just saw Julia Child do this very thing on one of her old shows. She really was our icon.

Seems like yes, eggs should be room temp. I tried it with refrigerator-cold eggs, and very little happened: only a tiny bit of the whites were even barely warmed after the full 20 seconds. Still had a lot of spread. Not sure if I will try again with warmer eggs.

Use a slotted spoon and the water drains completely from the egg.

My daughter taught me a trick that seems to work well. Create a mini whirlpool in the simmering water with a slotted spoon and slide the raw egg into the center. Don't overdue the velocity of the whirlpool.

To make one poached egg just for myself: Crack the egg into a little bowl or cup. In a small saucepan, bring the water and 1 Tbl vinegar to boil. Turn it down to simmer and then use a wooden spoon to swirl the water into a vortex, and slip the egg into the middle of the vortex. It will stay together!

"The egg can be moved" . . . aspirational!

Add 1 T. Water to a muffin tin for each egg. Drop a cracked egg in each indiv. tin. Bake in 325* oven to preferred doneness. Remove with slotted spoon. Great for a group.

Failed on first try...white stuck to the shell, so I guess I left them cooling too long before cracking into the water?

I have had only spotty results before, probably because mine is a solo household so my eggs often aren't that fresh. Even though that was the case again today, my egg turned out perfect on the first try, with a fluffy white that burst into golden goodness atop my toast when my fork pierced it. Note: It took much less time than indicated, maybe because I was poaching only one. About 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, tops. I found that the 1 t vinegar wasn't enough to add any vinegar taste to the egg.

Thank you Ms Ko for a terrific recipe. I have made this several times and now take one further step. After the quick immersion of the eggs, crack them one at a time into a small cup and take your time placing each cracked egg into the skillet. This way some of the whites further solidify before the yoke reaches the water, making an even tighter circle of white, with restaurant worthy results.

I think egg shells are not sanitary and would be reluctant to cook eggs in water that had previously held the shells, even if boiled. JMO

This is the second time I have added this note to this recipe. By placing the uncracked eggs in the cooking water first, you will tarnish the water. Either skip this stage or wash your uncracked eggs first.

Unconventional method for a quick egg. Half a cup of water in a measuring cup, crack an egg in and microwave 40 seconds. Strain and eat.

The reason vinegar (acetic acid) is used to poach eggs is that it lowers the pH of the water, and egg proteins coagulate in acid conditions. This method is used to prevent runny whites in poaching.

I would be interested in hearing what people think of using an old-fashioned egg poacher pan where you just break the eggs into little cups and they steam/poach over hot water in a covered pan? It works great, but is there an opinion that they taste better if put directly into water?

It’s easier to do them in the microwave oven. To a cereal bowl add water, ~1/2-3/4 inch, and a little bit of vinegar. Break the egg into the bowl. Prick the yolk sac. Cover with cling film wrap. Microwave at full power for 30 seconds per egg. Uncover, prick the yolk sac again and microwave another 30 seconds per egg. Drain water from from the bowl and serve in the bowl. You need to prick the yolk sac and cover with cling film in case the egg explodes in the microwave.

Can you just put salt in boiling water to poach an egg. Vinegar always imparts a vinegar taste to the eggs.

Thank you. Best method. Hands down. Forget the whirlpool. Forget the deep pot. Don’t bother straining or using an extra container to slip the egg in to the water gently. I used cold eggs directly out of the refrigerator. One was fresh, the other was at least a week old. Got the same great result with both.

I experienced muxed results with this technique: granted, the egg did not separate into disparate strands as it has for me in the past, but it also began to cook in the shell.

Made a single egg in a one quart saucepan—and it worked perfectly. My first ever successful poached egg (the whites held together). Yay!

I put the un-cracked egg in a mug, then pour boiling water over it and let it sit fully submerged for 10-20 seconds before cracking it into a small measuring cup and slipping it into simmering (never boiling) water.