How to Poach Eggs

Learning how to poach eggs is probably the hardest method of egg cooking we are covering in our how to cook eggs series. There is definitely a skill involved in getting it right. But the reward is great as poached eggs are delicious, especially covered in hollandaise sauce.

Eggs

What is not to love about eggs! They are little nutrition powerhouses which contain good quality protein, healthy fats as well as a range of vitamins and minerals. They are a perfect inclusion to a ketogenic lifestyle as they are so versatile as well as being quick and easy to prepare.

Over the month of May we will be covering our favourite ways to prepare eggs in step-by-step detail. So don’t worry if you are not a whiz in the kitchen, as we will guide you through the most delicious and easiest ways to prepare scrambles, omelettes and poached, boiled and fried eggs.

How to Poach Eggs

Eggs Benedict, poached eggs with hollandaise sauce, is by far my favourite breakfast meal to order when we go out to eat. It is a great keto option as the sauce is basically made from butter and you can simply ask for no toast or muffin, and add some greens if you like.

I hadn’t tried making poached eggs at home before though, as it scared me and it seemed that you needed special egg poaching equipment. Well let me assure you this is not the case anymore! I don’t have any fancy equipment at all and I now love poaching eggs at home. Along with our quick and easy hollandaise sauce we can have a cafe style breakfast at home whenever we want now.

Equipment

• Large frying pan or skillet
• Slotted spoon
• Small cup or glass
• Tea strainer
• Paper towel

Ingredients

• Eggs
• White vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

Serving Suggestions

• Eggs Benedict – with hollandaise sauce!
• With any of your favourite breakfast sides – bacon, sausage, mushrooms, spinach
• Poached eggs are yummy with a dollop of basil pesto and some fresh tomato and mozzarella
• Add it to the side of any meal to up the protein and fat (and the deliciousness!)

Steps

1. Fill your frying pan or skillet just over half full with water and bring a a boil over high heat.
2. Place the tea stainer over your small cup. Crack an egg into the strainer and let the watery part of the white fall through the strainer into the cup. Discard the watery part of the white in the cup and then tip the egg gently from the strainer into the empty cup. The fresher your eggs are, the less watery white there will be.
3. Once the water has come to a boil reduce the heat to low, so it is barely simmering.
4. Add one tablespoon of white vinegar to the water.
5. Take the slotted spoon and gently swirl the water in a circular motion.
6. Gently add the egg to the moving water. Place the cup as close as possible to the water and tip it in quickly.
7. Cook the egg for 4 – 5 minutes depending on how you like your yolk. 4 minutes for very runny with a just cooked white, 5 minutes for a more firm white but still runny yolk. If you are cooking more than one egg at a time you may need to increase the cooking time slightly, by about 30 seconds.
8. Remove the egg from the water and place on the paper towel to dry.
9. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

We hope you found this helpful. Check out our other ‘How to’ posts for more step-by-step guides

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