Poached eggs can be a bit of a minefield, but there’s an easy method to make them perfect without any specialist equipment — and it only takes two minutes
Poached eggs can be a bit of a minefield, but there’s an easy method to make them perfect without any specialist equipment — and it only takes two minutes(Image: Arx0nt via Getty Images)
Few culinary moments are quite as rewarding as cutting into a perfectly poached egg, whether you’re assembling a noodle dish or simply having one atop toast for breakfast. Yet poached eggs can prove notoriously difficult to get right, frequently falling apart in the water unless you’ve mastered a reliable method.
Food writer and founder of Salt and Serenity, Cindy, has shared that specialist equipment isn’t necessary to produce a beautifully soft, intact poached egg – as the entire process can be carried out in a microwave. She explained: “Poached eggs are not something I ever made at home until a few weeks ago. They always seemed so complicated to make.”
She continued: “Swirling the simmering water into a vortex and then gently lowering the egg into this seemed like a recipe for disaster.
“But then I started seeing people making them in the microwave all over Instagram. I wondered if it could really work. It took me over a dozen eggs until I finally cracked the code! (a little egg humour there).”
While it may seem unusual if you’ve not tried it previously, creating a poached egg in a microwave is remarkably simple and takes just two minutes of your time, reports the Express.
By preparing the egg in a mug or bowl, it maintains its form with ease, while the microwave gently warms it through, yielding a soft, tender poached egg without any undue fuss.
How to easily make a poached egg
You will need
- One large egg
- 180ml of boiling hot water
- One teaspoon of vinegar
Method
Start by bringing a kettle to the boil. Transfer the boiling water into a heatproof bowl or mug, then stir in one teaspoon of vinegar.
Any type of vinegar will do. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which assists the proteins in eggs to set properly, helping them maintain their shape while cooking.
Tap the egg with a spoon to crack the shell, then transfer it into your heatproof mug or bowl. Place a plate over the top and put it in the microwave at around 80 per cent power for 30 seconds.
How long you cook a poached egg will depend on your particular microwave, and you might need to try different timings to find what suits your appliance best. It’s also essential to avoid using full power, as this can cause the yolk to set too quickly and leave the whites undercooked.
After the initial 30 seconds, take the egg out of the microwave and carefully flip it with a spoon so the yolk becomes surrounded by the whites. Then, simply return the egg to cook for another 10 seconds, and if it hasn’t fully set, keep cooking in five-second bursts until finished.
When your egg is cooked, drain off the water and transfer it onto kitchen paper to soak up any remaining liquid. What you’ll have is a perfectly formed, firm poached egg that’s straightforward to make without any danger of it breaking up.
