When I was a kid I always thought poached eggs were fussy and weird. Why in the world would someone want a nasty, rubbery, boiled-in-water egg? And how does that even work anyway? If all those “healthy” people are claiming it’s divine it must be bland and blah.

I honestly have no idea why I decided to try poaching an egg. I also can’t remember where I learned how to do it. It’s totally different than how my mom showed me–which involved spooning boiling water and lots of fussing. Was it Julia Child? Maybe Martha Stewart?

In the last 2 years of living in Ames, I just gave it a shot. Now I have eggs and yogurt or eggs and oatmeal or eggs and greens or eggs and sausage (featured in today’s post) every morning.

If you like hard boiled eggs, you will like poached eggs. Promise. And unlike my mom’s method, this is a can’t-screw-it-up method.

Here we go, poached eggs!

All you need is:
1 small sauce pan filled with approximately 1″ water (remember, don’t fuss!)
1 teaspoon vinegar – You can use white or cider vinegar, they are both tasty
1-2 eggs
Slotted spoon – this is key!

Bring the water and vinegar up to a boil, reduce to a simmer (medium heat) and drop in two eggs (no shells please).

Let the eggs cook for about 5 minutes. You want the yolks to just be starting to solidify so they won’t break when you flip those babies with a slotted spoon. The picture above is right after I flipped them.

Let the eggs cook about 2-3 minutes and remove with the slotted spoon. Lay on a cloth napkin so the excess water is absorbed.

And devour! Yum yum yum!

Poached eggs are great any time of the day. They make delicious sandwiches, are great with fresh spinach greens, tasty with cheese or a salad or both. I like mine on toast with ground mustard and parsley.

Some poaching FAQs:

Why the vinegar? It helps to keep the egg from foaming up and over-flowing the pot.
Why do you flip with a slotted spoon? Because the yolks have a tendency to break their if you grab them any other way. The slotted spoon allows you to cup them, whites and yolk, without breaking the yolk.
What if I like my poached eggs runny? Don’t cook them as long as I do.
What if I like my poached eggs to be more compact? Add less water to the pot.
Why did my poached eggs flake apart? Most likely you have too much water in the pan OR not enough vinegar.

Enjoy!
Kristin