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To Poach Eggs

Poached eggs are cooked gently in simmering water until whites set and yolks remain runny.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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To Poach Eggs

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Fill a wide, clean pan halfway with spring water and add the salt.

  2. Place the pan over a smoke-free fire until the water boils.

  3. Carefully crack the eggs into separate cups, ensuring the yolks remain intact.

Poach and serve

  1. Once the water boils, remove the pan from the heat and gently slide the eggs into the water.

  2. Let the eggs sit until the whites are almost set, about 1 minute.

  3. Return the pan to the heat and simmer the eggs for 2.5 to 3 minutes.

  4. Lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon, trim the edges, and serve on dressed spinach or toasted bread.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Egg whites set around the yolk, giving the poached egg its shape and a tender, cohesive texture.

The step that matters

Sliding the eggs into the water. Egg whites set gradually from the outside in. Dropping eggs into vigorously boiling water tears the whites apart, while gentle water lets them coagulate around an intact yolk.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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