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[VIDEO] How we make perfect poached eggs for breakfast!

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[VIDEO] How we make perfect poached eggs for breakfast!

***Introducing a third camera in this video, the overhead HobCam!!***

Archie is very particular about his eggs! If they get served with a hard yolk, preventing him from having his ceremonial yolk bursting, he will probably refuse to eat the whole thing!

Poaching eggs is the best way to get his eggs right. But there is a bit of urban legend surrounding perfect poached eggs. They are meant to be difficult, temperamental and easily messed up – but they really truly needn’t be. If you follow just a few key words of advice, you will also be able to make perfect poached eggs, without any need for gimmics such as clingfilm, egg poachers or any other specialist equipment.

eggstill

The first big rule with poaching eggs is to use very fresh eggs. The purists will tell you they need to be 36 hours old. Ignore this! That is a logistical impossibility for anyone not buying their eggs on a farm. All you need to ensure is that your eggs are as fresh as they possibly can be. Buy the freshest eggs you can find in the shop (I usually dig deep as they newest eggs are usually at the bottom of the pile) and poach them, where possible, within a day of buying them. That said, I have still made successful poached eggs which were more than a few days old. And this leads me on to the second rule…

…always add vinegar to the boiling water. It helps the egg white solidify. If your eggs are a little older, add a little more vinegar to compensate.

As you can see from the video, even with a toddler in the kitchen, poached eggs are really nothing to be afraid of. And for me, they really are the most luxurious (not to mention healthy) way of eating eggs.

METHOD:

  1. Fill a deep saucepan 2/3 with water and bring the water to the boil.
  2. Turn the water down so that it is just below boiling point, barely simmering.
  3. Pour in some white wine vinegar. It’s difficult to be precise on how much but it is more than a tablespoon and less than a long glug. It is somewhere between the two. The video gives you a good idea of how much to use.
  4. Break your egg into a small glass or coffee cup.
  5. Using a whisk, stir the water rapidly in a circular movement to create a spiral of water in the middle of the saucepan (I would almost call it a vortex, if that doesn’t sound too dramatic!).
  6. Bring the glass with the egg in it right to the surface of the water and slowly drop the egg into the middle of the spinning water. It is very important to neither drop the egg from a height or pour it in too quickly.
  7. The egg will split, flail and look all round ugly. DON”T WORRY! Just leave it alone and you will see over the coming minutes, it will magically come together in the water.
  8. Leave the egg in for three minutes to get a really runny yolk, a little longer if you like the yolk to be a touch firmer.
  9. At the end of the cooking time, take the egg out using a slotted spoon and place it on some kitchen paper to dry it and remove any small vinegar residue.
  10. Your egg will have a pretty side and a less pretty side! Serve it pretty side up, on muffins or toast.

You can make more than one egg at at time. After the first egg has been in the pan for about thirty seconds, gently push it to the edge of the saucepan, stir the water again and drop the second egg in. Take the second egg out thirty seconds after you take the first one out.

29 Responses to “[VIDEO] How we make perfect poached eggs for breakfast!”

  1. Brilliant, I've never managed to master poached eggs before, going to go right this minute and have a go. I shall report back.

  2. paula n sophie says:

    oh my mouth is watering just lookin at it x

  3. Ellililalou says:

    Brilliant! I’m inspired (so are my kids) guess what we’re going to cook for breakfast. Looks perfect,

  4. mochabeaniemummy says:

    Oooo fantastic! I'd given up on poached eggs as mine always looked a mess – I shall watch the HobCam vid and have another go soon :o D
    xx

  5. Pagea says:

    Yeay – now I'm not pregnant I can have runny eggs – will be trying this soon as I have never been able to do poached eggs but I LOVE them!

  6. Jellynbubble says:

    Can't wait until the weekend to try this one out :)

  7. I am so going to try and make that soon – but note that when I've tried before they have not come together at all!!
    BNMx

  8. Susan says:

    I don't like runny yolks myself, but I think that this 'recipe' reads better than many seasoned professionals! Nick, glad to see that you're not doing a Delia: trying to get people to buy special stuff from Lakeland.

  9. Sue says:

    Yummy…..well done (and I LOVE the ad libbing by the gorgeous Archie as usual!).

    I hope he enjoyed his breakfast.

    Sue xx

  10. Ethel shaw says:

    That was the secret then, to stir the water into a whirlpool before popping the egg in!
    By the way, where did you get your cutlery drawer? the one to the left under the hob, the one with the sliding top deck?
    Ethel (thanks)

  11. pianoliz says:

    yum – off to make a second breakfast methinks. Thanks Nick- so easy and no scrubbing of those irritating little poaching pot things.

    (Actually I could watch a whole video of Archie speaking, singing and giggling…..)

  12. Amanda says:

    LOVE the twirling in the water Nick, great tip!

  13. Anna says:

    I've always thought it would be too difficult to do. I love eggs and will definitely try this.Great camera angle. Thanks again Nick to you and precious little Archie.

  14. Cookingkt says:

    loving the hobcam and Archie's vocals!!! Poached eggs and muffins are such a delish brekky… I use the same technique and rarely have a problem. Think I shall rustle some up at the weekend…

  15. NannyNick says:

    Lovely video and it really is as simple as you made it look. Have just made 2 poached eggs using fairly old eggs and it still worked out fine.

  16. @laineyd7 says:

    Husband always cooks the poached eggs – I promise to show him this very helpful video. Lovely how cheery you both are before breakfast – Archie's singing is delightful! You're doing a great job, Nick!

  17. trish gant says:

    Fantastically tasty. Loving it. Trish

  18. jazzy says:

    love the idea and the blog, can't stop watching the videos. i stumbled upon your blog by chance and i'm enjoying very much.
    archie is so adorable and charming.
    brilliant, keep up a good work.

  19. Jackie Hunter says:

    Is it ok to use normal vinegar?

  20. Claire says:

    Oh this is fantastic! Just found your link on a BLW forum :o ) My nan used to make us gorgeous poached egg on toast and I have never tried to do it myself. Am so going to try this for breakfast tomorrow!! Thanks again, love Claire X x X

  21. Poached eggs are one of the simple pleasures of life! Our technique is quite simple, we just have a shallow pan of simmering water, no vinegar, lower in the eggs with a cup like you do, and they magically come together! In my humble opinion, 3 minutes makes the perfect poached egg:-)
    Look forward to more videos, Hungry Female xx

  22. Paul says:

    Hi Nick. I find you can also get good results in a shallow frying pan, still with the vinegar and just a small amount of water. Good luck tomorrow!

  23. Alice says:

    Where did you get your double-layered cutlery sorter?! AMAZING!

    • mydaddycooks says:

      Hi Alice, it was already here when we moved in! I think the kitchen is an old MFI one. Sorry that I don't have a more exciting answer!!

  24. annie says:

    Nick, both you and Archie bring a smile to my face every time I read and hear your messages. This is all just wonderfull.

    My love to you all

    Annie

  25. Helen S says:

    That sounds easy and it’s got my mouth watering, i’m gonna have a go

  26. Jo G says:

    Thanks, this looks great, I can't wait to give it a try!

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