How to Poach an Egg
Master the fine-mesh strainer method to drain watery albumen and create a compact, tender poached egg with a warm, runny yolk.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Medium saucepan
- ✓ Fine-mesh strainer
- ✓ Small ramekin or teacup
- ✓ Slotted spoon
- ✓ Small plate lined with paper towels
- ✓ Kitchen timer
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Fresh large eggs
- ✓ Water
- ✓ Kosher salt
- ✓ Black pepper
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Turn saucepan handles inward away from the stove edge to prevent tipping boiling water
- • Lower egg ramekins directly to the water surface before tilting to avoid hot water splashes
- • Keep heat at a low simmer; rolling boiling water poses a scalding risk and tears egg albumen
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (5 Steps)
Heat water to a gentle simmer
Fill a medium saucepan with 2 to 3 inches of water and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low so only tiny pinprick bubbles cling to the bottom and occasionally rise. The water surface should remain calm with wisps of steam.
- • Water depth measures roughly 2 to 3 inches
- • Tiny bubbles sit on the pot floor without turbulent surface agitation
- • Leaving heat on high, creating rolling turbulent bubbles
- • Using too shallow a pan where egg touches the bottom immediately
Strain watery whites
Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl or sink and crack one cold egg directly into it. Gently swirl or tilt the strainer for 10 to 15 seconds to let the thin, watery liquid white drip away, leaving only the firm white around the yolk. Carefully slide the strained egg into a small ramekin or teacup.
- • Loose liquid albumen collected in the bowl beneath strainer
- • Tight, cohesive egg resting whole inside the ramekin with intact yolk
- • Shaking strainer aggressively and breaking the yolk membrane
- • Cracking egg straight into water without straining loose whites
Slide egg gently into water
Hold the ramekin just above the water's surface, tilting the lip until it barely touches the water. In one smooth, gentle motion, tip the ramekin to slide the egg into the center of the saucepan. Start your timer immediately upon release.
- • Egg rests in the water as a compact oval mass
- • No major plumes of white floating detached across the surface
- • Dropping the egg from several inches high, splashing hot water and tearing the white
- • Dumping the egg too aggressively, causing it to flatten on pan bottom
Poach undisturbed
Cook the egg at a gentle sub-simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. If the egg sticks lightly to the bottom during the first 30 seconds, gently slide a slotted spoon underneath to free it, then let it float undisturbed until the white is opaque and firm.
- • Egg white has turned fully milky-white and opaque with no clear gelatinous spots
- • Yolk is visibly enveloped in white but still jiggles under gentle motion
- • Constantly prodding or stirring the egg during cooking
- • Letting water boil vigorously, which creates a rubbery texture
Remove, drain, and serve
Carefully scoop the egg out with a slotted spoon. Hold the spoon over the pan for a few seconds to let excess water drip off, then transfer the egg onto a paper towel-lined plate to blot moisture from the bottom. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to your serving plate.
- • Bottom of egg blotted dry with no pooled puddle of water on final plate
- • Egg white holds a rounded shape and yields gently when pressed with a spoon
- • Placing wet egg directly onto toast, making it soggy
- • Piercing the yolk with the slotted spoon edge when lifting
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by America's Test Kitchen — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Fine-mesh strainer? Slotted spoon held over a bowl to drain watery albumen before cooking
- No Ramekin? Small teacup, shallow measuring cup, or small prep bowl