NO-FUSS Poached Eggs

No Fuss Poached Eggs

When did poached eggs get so complicated?

Do I add vinegar, salt, movement or should I strain the egg before cooking? All good questions. It just depends on who you ask. I'm the no-fuss type so I'm going to give you the no-fuss answer.

Poached eggs are mindlessly easy to make and can also be made ahead of time if you choose (see below). So don't be afraid of the infamous poached egg.

Kitchn – one of my favorite blogs tested 5 poaching methods. As I'm sure you already guessed, the egg that caught my attention was the NO-FUSS Poached Egg.

The results were exactly as stated – The No-Fuss egg whites were silky and tender and the yolk was runny without being watery.

This method produced a delicious egg, but for some... it might not be the most attractive. In my opinion, they looked lovely!

The spider webbed whites that float around the edges of the eggs as they cook - mostly stayed in the pan with the water, so I didn’t feel the need to trim my eggs. But feel free to trim your eggs – the method recommended is to pick up your egg with a slotted spoon and take a paring knife and trim the egg around the edge of the spoon to get the perfectly shaped poached egg.

What I love about this method is that you can cook as many eggs as your pan can hold and they don’t need to be attended too once they are in the pan.

Most recommend that you bring the water to a simmer. I bring the water to a boil (because it's easy to get to temp fast) then I let the water calm to a simmer (this happens pretty quick). It's a method that I use to poach salmon.

Foolproof 2 minute Hollandaise Sauce would be wonderful with your no-fuss poached eggs.

NO-FUSS POACHED EGGS only need water, heat and fresh eggs. NO vinegar, salt, movement or pre-straining. 

• Use fresh cold eggs right out of the fridge – vs – older eggs that are best for hard boiled.
• Crack the egg into small bowl so you can gently slip the egg in close to the water and also to prevent having a shell fragment drop in with your egg.
• Heat a skillet or pot with about 1 ½ inches of water and no more than 2 inches.
• Bring the water to a boil; then turn off heat.
• When the bubbles subside, slip the eggs into the water one at a time and cover the pan.
• Let the eggs sit in the water for 3-5 min. depending on how you like your eggs done and how many are in the pan. I cooked my 2 large eggs for 4 min. and a single egg for 3 ½ min.
• Gently lift eggs from the bottom of the pan with a slotted spoon. Trim eggs around the edge of the spoon with a paring knife if needed. I did not need to trim my eggs. 

COOKING FOR A CROWD - 

The first time I saw precooked poached eggs was on a cruise ship at their Eggs Benedict station. I watched the cook fish my poached eggs out of a large water bath that had dozens of poached eggs in it. I was not happy about what I was seeing and certain that I would be disappointed. To my surprise, the eggs were delicious.

COOK your eggs ahead of time

• Poach as many eggs as you need about 30 seconds less than you would normally cook them. The whites should be firm while the yolks are still runny. Then place the cooked eggs in an ice water bath. Keep the eggs covered in water for up to 2 days in the fridge.
• To reheat; place cold eggs into a pan of hot water for 1-2 minutes. Just long enough to heat the egg all the way through.
• Great video to show how to poach eggs for a crowd. However, I don't think you need the vinegar or salt in the cooking water.