• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cathy's Gluten Free logo

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Start Here!
    • How My Skin Cleared Up
    • Gluten Free Guidance
  • Meet Cathy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes by Course » Breakfast

    Published: Jun 14, 2018 · Modified: Nov 6, 2019 by Cathy · This post may contain affiliate links

    Home » Recipes by Course » Breakfast

    How to Poach an Egg

    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    Jump to Recipe

    A perfectly soft poached egg is great in Eggs Benedict, on Avocado Toast, or simply beside some bacon or sausage. Let me share with you the terrific method I've discovered to poach an egg!

    Jump to:
    • The Secret to Nicely Poached Eggs
    • Make Ahead Poached Eggs
    • More Egg Recipes
    • Recipe
    Poached Egg Steps
    Save for later.

    If you have been following me on Instagram for any length of time at all, you'll have noticed that I've been experimenting with egg poaching.

    I learned this amazing egg-poaching method from J. Kenji López-Alt in his book, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science. He credits Heston Blumenthal of The Duck Fat, a restaurant in England, with introducing it to him. My daughter, a cooking enthusiast herself, recommended this book to me. It's a huge textbook with recipes, but she got herself a hardcover copy and read it cover to cover. I downloaded the e-version and am enjoying it very much! Just as I was struggling to master poached eggs, these instructions presented themselves. It was perfect timing!

    Soft, Poached Egg
    Soft, Poached Egg

    The Secret to Nicely Poached Eggs

    The secret to a nice, neatly poached egg is to drop the egg into a fine-meshed strainer before tipping it into hot water. Don't let it sit too long in the sieve. It won't completely drain. Somehow, the step with the sieve takes away the loose, messy part of the egg white, so it cooks up neatly.

    It also helps to use very fresh eggs.

    Salt is added to the water for flavour. Vinegar is unnecessary. The heat is turned off once the water has come to a boil. Once the egg has been added, it can be moved around and even gently flipped over.

    With practice, you'll get better and better at poaching eggs this way! I'm sure you'll find lots of way you like to serve them, but they're definitely good with Everyday Seasoning sprinkled on top.

    Learn this simple technique for perfectly poached eggs.
    Learn this simple technique for perfectly poached eggs.

    Make Ahead Poached Eggs

    You can prepare your poached eggs up to three days before serving them. To do this, when you remove your cooked eggs from the hot water with a slotted spoon, transfer them to a bowl of cold water. Store them in the refrigerator. When you're ready to reheat and serve them, transfer them to a bowl of hot water (140 degrees Fahrenheit) and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

    You'll be able to serve several beautifully poached eggs to brunch guests with minimal last-minute effort!

    More Egg Recipes

    • Poached Egg on Avocado Toast
    • Omelette Muffins
    • Warm Spinach Salad with Egg
    • Deviled Eggs with Bacon

    While these instructions are for only one egg, cook as many as will fit comfortably in the pan at the same time.

    Recipe

    Poached Egg on Plate
    Print

    How to Poach an Egg

    CathysGlutenFree.com
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 3 minutes
    Total Time 8 minutes
    Servings 1 egg
    Calories 63kcal
    Author Cathy

    Ingredients

    • 3 quarts water
    • 2 tablespoons sea salt
    • 1 egg

    Instructions

    • Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan.
    • Break the egg into a small bowl.
    • Tip the egg into a fine strainer.  [mv_img id="100857"]
      Egg in Strainer
    • Turn off the heat as you gently lower the egg into the hot water. [mv_img id="100859"]
      Egg Being Tipped from Strainer
    • Keep your egg moving around in the water to keep it round. Gently flip it over, so it will cook evenly on both sides. [mv_img id="100849"]
      Move the egg around and gently flip it over to cook it evenly.
    • When the poached egg is done to your liking, remove it with a slotted spoon.  [mv_img id="100856"]
      Remove egg with a slotted spoon.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 164mg | Sodium: 14157mg | Potassium: 64mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 238IU | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 1mg
    Save this recipe to make again.@CathysGlutenFree
    « How to Grill a Beef Steak
    Gluten Free Avocado Toast with Poached Egg »
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lisa says

      June 19, 2018 at 3:18 am

      5 stars
      Your method of poaching eggs actually seems like I might be able to do it and not end up with some weird unwanted egg swirl water in my pan! Can't wait to try this!

      Reply
      • Cathy says

        June 19, 2018 at 9:07 am

        It's not difficult. You might still get some extra egg bits, but your main egg will come out fairly smooth looking.

        Reply
    2. Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says

      June 19, 2018 at 2:27 pm

      Poached eggs are Loreto's domain 🙂 . I found your instructions very helpful, especially the video, and one day I am going to surprise him by making the perfect poached egg, like the one you have here!

      Reply
      • Cathy says

        June 19, 2018 at 9:57 pm

        You go, girl!

        Reply
    3. Diane Galambos says

      June 19, 2018 at 2:41 pm

      Cathy, you explain this so well - and the pics are great, as well as the video!

      Reply
      • Cathy says

        June 19, 2018 at 9:57 pm

        Thank you, Diane!

        Reply
    4. Denise from Urb'n'Spice says

      June 22, 2018 at 1:19 am

      5 stars
      Those are awesome tips, Cathy! I will always find an excuse to make poached eggs for breakfast, brunch or lunch so I will definitely be trying your tips soon. The poached egg looks so tidy when it is done! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

      Reply
      • Cathy says

        June 22, 2018 at 4:37 pm

        Thanks, Denise. I hope you find these tips helpful.

        Reply
    5. Riz | Chocolates & Chai says

      June 22, 2018 at 7:17 pm

      5 stars
      Great tips, Cathy! A perfectly poached egg is a treat everyone deserves to make at home. Honestly, sometimes I forget that fried eggs are also an option because poached eggs are just perfection!

      (Fun fact: most of my life, I was under the impression that fried eggs and poached eggs are the same thing! In the east, both terms were often used interchangeably to describe fried eggs!)

      Reply
      • Cathy says

        June 23, 2018 at 1:52 pm

        How interesting about the terms being used interchangeably! Now that I've discovered this method of poaching, I'm excited about cooking eggs ahead and warming up perfectly poached eggs for guests!

        Reply
    6. Sue says

      March 25, 2020 at 7:33 pm

      Why can’t you poach the egg directly in the strainer? Just hold it under water, should be easy to flip too. I’m going to try it,

      Reply
      • Cathy says

        March 26, 2020 at 8:53 am

        That sounds like it would be easier. Let me know how it works out for you. Is it not difficult to clean out of the strainer then?

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    I'm Cathy, developer of delicious, nutritious gluten free recipes, simplified for creating at home.

    CathysGlutenFree.com
    cover of e-cookbook with various muffins and coffee
    Do you have my e-book?

    As featured in...

    logos for Country Living, Foodgawker, Yummly, and A Canadian Celiac Podcast

    Summertime Recipes

    • Strawberry Cupcake Filling
    • Strawberry Spinach Salad with Feta and Poppy Seed Dressing
    • Strawberry Chia Jam
    • Strawberry Slush Recipe

    Categories

    • Breakfast
    • Breads
    • Salad Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Cookies and Snacks

    Smoothie Recipes

    • Green Apple Smoothie
    • Mango and Pineapple Smoothie Recipe
    • Apple Spinach Smoothie Recipe
    • Mango Spinach Smoothie Recipe
    Elimination Diet Meal Plan

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Meet Cathy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 CathysGlutenFree, all rights reserved