8 Secrets of How Do Chefs Poach Eggs

If you’re reading this, you probably already know what the poached egg is all about, why no hard-boiled egg can compare to it, and that the white of such an egg is nothing like the rubbery one that floated out of the eggshell during cooking. If that’s the case, and you’ve determinedly googled “how do chefs poach eggs”, then you’ve come to the right place.

I promise you: a few tries, and if you follow all the tips below, you will make proper poached eggs and delight your family, for example, with spectacular avocado toast with beautiful poached egg.

Cooking a perfect poached egg is quite a challenge, so when you succeed, feel free to be proud of yourself.

There are several ways of cooking, the simplest and most affordable of which is in a saucepan.

How to poach an egg in a saucepan of water

So, in short:

1. Put a saucepan of water on the fire.
2. Add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of vinegar.
3. Bring to a low boil.
4. Break an egg into a glass without damaging the yolk.
5. Make a water funnel in the saucepan with a fork or a whisk.
6. Pour the egg into the center of the water funnel, boil for 1-2 minutes.

And now I’m going to share some tips on how do chefs poach eggs, that I discovered while working in our cafe’s kitchen.

1. Cold fresh egg. Warm egg whites, like old egg whites, are liquefied, and in water they will become threads and flakes. Cold, fresh egg whites hold tightly around the yolk and will create a pouch. If you damage the yolk when breaking the shell, don’t boil such an egg, it won’t make a poached egg.

2. There should be plenty of water in a saucepan, otherwise, the egg may stick to the bottom during cooking. But it shouldn’t be too much, either: in this case, it’s harder to turn the water funnel. Also, water with vinegar tends to rise strongly when boiling.

3. Vinegar increases the acidity of the water, so that the protein coagulates faster.

4. The egg should be dipped into water that is not yet boiling too strongly. It should be at the beginning of a boil, with small bubbles rising from the bottom of the pan to the surface of the water.

5. Medium funnel speed. It should not be too fast, just 2 spins with a whisk, spoon or fork. Or spin it strongly and wait until it slows down a bit.

6. The smaller the saucepan, the better the result. In a large pot/saucepan, it is more difficult to get to the center of the funnel, which means you are more likely to get a bag with a long tail of protein. It is easier to cook a beautiful poached egg in a small saucepan (0.5-0.7 liter).

7. Drop the egg from the glass, keeping it as low as possible above the water. The yolk is denser than the protein, it falls faster, and we don’t need it, so it should drop into the water as little as possible.

8. Cooking time for an egg is 1 to 2 minutes, it depends on the type and power of your stove. The longer you cook, the more dense the white and yolk will be.

Transfer the poached egg from the saucepan to a paper towel or napkin to get rid of excess liquid, as it can mess up your main dish, such as toast or waffles.

Enjoy!