I love eggs. They’re super versatile and a great way to add extra protein (and oomph!) to a dish. As a breakfast lover, I pretty much enjoy all styles of eggs, but poached hold a special place in my heart. See, I’ve never made a poached egg…at least not the traditional way.
Poached eggs done well are soft, creamy, and ooze perfectly over toast or crispy potatoes. Badly poached eggs on the other hand are all over-done whites and hard yolks. Because I’m so particular about my poached eggs and because I’ve had my share of over-done eggs, I’ve convinced myself that poached eggs are the most difficult egg cooking technique. The holy grail of eggs, if you will.
In my search for the easiest poached egg recipe I saw multiple egg poaching methods: water-swirling, vinegar-ing, plastic wrapping, and silicone podding. All the methods seemed too persnickety to try, so I went with the simplest method possible.
Turns out that the simplest way to poach eggs is to slow poach them. I found the technique in New York chef David Chang’s cookbook, Momofuku. Chang’s slow poached eggs are based on onsen eggs, a Japanese egg cooking technique. Eggs are slowly cooked in their shell in 145 F hot water for 45 minutes. Because the eggs are cooked so slowly, the eggs are super creamy: the whites are just set and the yolks gloriously oozy.
The beauty of slow-poached eggs is that they are cooked in their shell. Because they’re already naturally packaged, you can make a bunch at a time and have them in the fridge on hand anytime you have a poached egg craving. You can use these eggs anywhere you’d use regular poached eggs. If you’re having people over for brunch, it’s awesome because you can prep all of your eggs the night before and just heat them up in a bowl of hot water. Crack them open and watch your friend’s faces light up in amazement when your “raw” eggs slide out of the shell perfectly poached.
I am oozy, I am unctuous: I AM SLOW POACHED EGG!
Slow Poached Egg Recipe slightly adapted from Momofuku
- large eggs, as many as you like
Place a steamer rack in your biggest pot and then fill the pot with the hottest tap water possible. Put the pot on the stove on the lowest heat.
Clip a thermometer to the side of the pot and monitor the temperature. You want the water between 140-145 F. When the water is the right temperature, add the eggs to the pot and let them hang out for 40-45 minutes checking the temperature regularly. Add a couple of ice cubes if the water gets too hot.
The eggs can be enjoyed immediately or you can keep them in the fridge for a few days. If you want to keep them in the fridge, chill them in an ice water bath before storing in the fridge. To warm up, place in a bowl of piping hot tap water for a couple of minutes.
To eat, simply crack open the egg into a small saucer. There may be a tiny bit of white that is a bit loose, tip the dish to pour it out then slide the egg on the dish you’re using it in. Enjoy!
**Fried Slow Poached Eggs
If you’ve made a big bunch of slow poached eggs and you’re wondering what to do with them (as if!), try pan frying them in a bit of oil over medium high heat. You’ll end up with perfectly runny yolks, creamy whites and crispy brown sides.
If you need to keep the eggs off the bottom and don’t have a rack that is the exact size of your pot, use a collapsible metal steamer and just put a little more water in the pan so that the eggs stay covered.
I have poached eggs on a number of occasions, never knew you could do it this way awesomeness!!
Thank you so much for posting this. I was intrued. Tried it today with 6 eggs straight from the fridge in a bamboo steamer insert submerged in water when it reached 145F. Temperature of the water fluctuated from 137-148 (via IR gun) throughout cooking. I was a little concerned the yolks were cooked through but did not. Our guests loved it!!
I really hate runny whites, and love soft runny yolks. Closest I come is soft boiled or 11/12 minute eggs started with cold water. I put eggs in a saucepan add cold water and put on stove to boil. Once the water is boiling I turn it down to a simmer until the 11/12 min are up then run cold water on the eggs immediately. My yolks are soft and there are no runny whites at all. This also makes them easier to peel. This recipe sounds similar. So what is the difference between soft boiled and poached in shell? Seems like more work to me since you have to keep watching the temperature…. of course I think the shape is also different as poached eggs are not usually egg shell shaped like boiled eggs are. They slide around on plates because of the water they are cooked in. The pan I have uses steam to cook them (inset has 6 little round metal dishes with handles for ease of removing) and they usually turn out well. I just wondered if there was a quicker, easier way, but I guess not. Thanks for the info.
Watery mouth.
Great method, both yolk and white cooked to perfection.
You might like to reheat the eggs in hit 35 %fat cream that you have heated on high heat until it has reduced by half and into which you will have put a half tea spoon of tarragon and coarse ground black pepper! Slip in the eggs out of the shell for about 3 minutes off the heat, don’t cook them!!
Sorry if already answered, but it says fill the pot, but use a steamer, so I assume only fill the pot up to the level of the steamer- not all the way? Also, should I put a lid on or no after the eggs are in?
hi k,
the eggs are completely submerged in the water, the steamer rack is just so that the eggs are not on the bottom of the pot. you don’t need a lid. hope that helps!
Thank you! It’s not very often I see a new method of poaching eggs so I will be giving this one a try. I am a tad skeptical about how you crack the egg and the poachie comes out? Wouldn’t the white be too solid? But I have an open mind, and I am prepared to be amazed. Happy poaching.