A good poached egg doesn't need an expensive gadget, a whirlpool fierce enough to wash dishes or half a bottle of vinegar. It needs a reasonably fresh egg, water moving gently rather than boiling hard, and a little attention during the few minutes it cooks. The reward is a tender white wrapped around a yolk you can leave soft or cook a little further.
This method uses an ordinary saucepan, a cup and a slotted spoon. Start with one egg until you're comfortable with the heat, then cook two or more when there's enough room in the pan.
What you'll need
For one or two portions, gather two eggs, a medium deep frying pan or saucepan, water, a small cup or ramekin, a slotted spoon and kitchen paper. Toast and a little black pepper are optional, but a warm plate helps keep the finished eggs pleasant to eat.
Choose eggs that have been stored correctly and are within their date. Fresh eggs tend to have a thicker white that stays close to the yolk, producing a tidier shape in the water. Older eggs can still be suitable for cooking, although their looser whites may spread more.
You don't need salt in the poaching water. Good Food advises against salting it, because salt can encourage the egg white to spread into wisps.
Choose the right pan
A wide pan gives each egg space and makes it easier to retrieve the finished egg without breaking it. Water around 5–8cm deep is usually enough to submerge the egg comfortably.
A narrow saucepan also works if you're cooking only one egg. The important thing is that the egg can settle without sticking to the bottom or being buffeted by strong bubbles.
Make sure the pan is clean. Residual oil isn't necessary for poaching and may float on the water, making it more difficult to judge the white's appearance.
Bring water to a gentle simmer
Heat the water until small bubbles form and the surface moves gently. Then turn the heat down. You should see some movement, but not rolling, crashing bubbles.
A furious boil breaks the white into ragged strands and can make the yolk collide with the pan. Water that barely feels warm, on the other hand, won't set the white promptly. The middle ground is a quiet simmer.
If the water begins boiling hard after you drop in the egg, reduce the heat immediately rather than repeatedly stirring around it. Consistent gentle heat is more useful than complicated tricks.
Crack into a cup first
Break one egg into a small cup or ramekin. This lets you inspect the egg, makes it easier to lower into the pan and prevents shell fragments dropping into the water.
Try not to break the yolk as you crack it. If a shell fragment slips into the cup, remove it before cooking. Discard an egg that smells unpleasant or shows other obvious signs of deterioration.
For a tidy result, some cooks pass the egg briefly through a fine mesh sieve to remove very loose white. This is optional. A fresh egg and sensible water temperature are usually sufficient.
Slide the egg close to the surface
Hold the cup close above the water and tip the egg in gently. The shorter the drop, the less chance the white will scatter.
For one egg, you can give the water a very gentle stir beforehand to create a slight movement towards the centre. A powerful whirlpool isn't required, and it becomes inconvenient when you're cooking several eggs together.
Once the egg is in, leave it alone for the first minute. Poking a soft white repeatedly with a spoon is more likely to tear it than improve its appearance.
How long to poach an egg
Good Food's method gives approximately three to four minutes for a white that is cooked through with a soft yolk. Exact timing changes with egg size, starting temperature and the strength of the simmer.
At around three minutes, lift the egg gently with the slotted spoon and look at the white. It should be opaque and set, without transparent, jelly-like patches. A soft yolk will still give gently beneath the white.
For a firmer yolk, leave it a little longer and check again. Don't rely on a timer alone, especially when switching between small and large eggs.
Lift and drain without breaking the yolk
Slide the slotted spoon beneath the egg and lift it steadily from the water. Allow excess water to drain through the spoon.
Rest the spoon briefly on folded kitchen paper or dab its underside to remove more moisture. That stops your toast becoming soaked before you've even cut into the egg.
Move the egg carefully onto a warm plate. Avoid squeezing it with a second spoon; the white is delicate even when properly cooked.
Poach two or more eggs
Once you can cook one confidently, use a wider pan to make several. Crack each into its own cup, then lower the eggs into different parts of the pan.
Don't crowd them into one small patch. They may join together, and the whites may take longer to set as the water cools with each addition.
Add eggs promptly so they finish at similar times. If one goes into the water much earlier, remove it when ready instead of overcooking it while waiting for the others.
Do you need vinegar?
Some recipes add a small splash of vinegar to the water. Mild acidity can help egg whites coagulate, but too much leaves a noticeable sour taste.
It isn't essential, particularly when you're using fresh eggs. For a straightforward everyday breakfast, try the water-only method first.
If you decide to use vinegar, follow a trusted recipe's quantity rather than pouring it freely into the pan. You should still manage temperature and timing properly; vinegar won't fix a vigorously boiling pan.
Serve poached eggs while they're hot
Poached eggs are good on buttered toast, grilled mushrooms, wilted spinach or a bowl of warm grains. Put your accompaniments together before the eggs are ready.
Season lightly after cooking. Black pepper, a little salt and chopped chives are enough to complement the yolk without hiding its flavour.
If you're serving with toast, place the egg on top immediately before eating. The soft yolk becomes a sauce when cut, while excess water from the egg should already have been drained away.
What if the white spreads everywhere?
The usual causes are a less-than-fresh egg or water moving too aggressively. Try a fresher egg and lower it gently from a cup into a quieter pan.
If the white produces a few wisps, don't panic. A home-cooked poached egg doesn't need the perfectly rounded shape of a restaurant photograph to taste good.
You can trim stray cooked white after lifting if presentation matters. Don't try to pull it into shape while it is still raw in the water.
What if the egg sticks to the bottom?
The egg may have settled onto a hot pan base before the white had a chance to set. Avoid forcing it free immediately.
After a short time, slide a thin suitable spatula gently underneath if necessary. Keep enough water in the pan and maintain a controlled simmer.
Next time, lower the egg into the water rather than dropping it from height and consider a pan with a slightly wider base. A light pre-stir can also help it settle without sticking.
A note on soft yolks and food safety
In the UK, the Food Standards Agency states that vulnerable groups can eat lightly cooked hens' eggs bearing the British Lion stamp or produced under the Laid in Britain scheme, subject to the applicable guidance. Other eggs may need thorough cooking.
If you're serving someone with particular dietary or medical restrictions, check the latest FSA advice rather than assuming all eggs are interchangeable. Always handle shell eggs hygienically and keep raw egg off ready-to-eat foods.
A poached egg with a runny yolk is a deliberate choice. A properly set white should never be a thin, raw-looking puddle around it.
Make the method your own
Egg sizes and cookers differ. Start by noting how long one egg takes in your usual pan, then adjust by small increments until it suits your preference.
Don't feel obliged to add vinegar, strain every egg or swirl the pan violently. Those refinements may help in particular circumstances but aren't prerequisites for breakfast.
The reliable sequence is simple: quiet water, egg lowered from a cup, three to four minutes of attentive cooking, then careful draining. Once you've tried it a couple of times, poached eggs become a dependable meal rather than a kitchen challenge.