To Poach Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Fill a wide, clean pan with ½ cup of clear spring water and add ¼ teaspoon of coarse sea salt.
Place the pan over a smoke‑free fire until the water boils.
Carefully crack the eggs into separate cups to avoid damaging the yolks.
Poach
Once the water boils, remove the pan from heat and gently slide the eggs into the water.
Let the eggs sit until the whites are almost set, about 1 minute.
Return the pan to the heat and simmer the eggs for 2.5 to 3 minutes.
Lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon, trim the edges, and serve on dressed spinach or toasted bread.
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
- Their proteins set when heated, firming the whites while the yolk stays soft.
The step that matters
Slide the eggs into water that has just boiled, then hold it at a gentle simmer. A rolling boil churns the water and tears the delicate whites apart. Gentle heat sets the egg white evenly around the yolk, so the egg keeps its shape.
“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.
More poached eggs recipes
You might also like
Rice Gruel28 recipes
Peptoned Milk Gruel9 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.