{"title":"How to Poach an Egg","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/cooking/how-to-poach-an-egg","category":{"slug":"cooking","name":"Cooking"},"creator":{"name":"Epicurious","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcjhYlL1WRBjKaJsMH_h7Lg","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrq3iZcvHAw"},"tldr":"Poach eggs the restaurant way. Soak in a vinegar bath 10 minutes, then simmer 2-3 minutes. Tight whites, runny yolks, no swirling water trick required.","totalDurationSeconds":300,"difficulty":"easy","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Make a Vinegar-Water Bath","text":"In a medium bowl, combine equal parts white distilled vinegar and water - about a cup of each. You need distilled white vinegar specifically; it has the highest acidity, which is what does the work.Don't substitute apple cider or wine vinegar - they flavor the egg too strongly."},{"number":2,"title":"Crack the Eggs Into the Bath","text":"Crack eggs directly into the vinegar-water bath. Cold eggs from the fridge are fine - they'll come up to temp while they soak.Don't crowd the bowl. Each egg needs space to float freely, or they'll stick together."},{"number":3,"title":"Soak for 10 Minutes","text":"Let the eggs soak for about 10 minutes. The vinegar denatures the outer layer of the egg white, drawing it into a tight teardrop around the yolk. You'll see the outside turn opaque white when they're ready.Swirl the bowl gently every couple of minutes so the vinegar reaches all sides."},{"number":4,"title":"Bring Water to a Bare Simmer","text":"Fill a medium saucepan with 3 to 4 inches of water. Bring it up to a bare simmer - tiny bubbles at the bottom, faint steam rising, nothing more. A rolling boil will tear your eggs apart.A 3 to 4-quart saucepan filled halfway is about right for 3 eggs."},{"number":5,"title":"Scoop Each Egg Into the Pot","text":"Use a ladle to scoop each egg from the vinegar bath with some of the liquid around it. Gently place the ladle in the simmering water and let the egg slide out.No tornado swirling needed - the pre-soaked egg holds its shape on its own. That swirl technique only works for one egg at a time anyway."},{"number":6,"title":"Poach for 2 to 3 Minutes","text":"Poach for 2 to 3 minutes, depending on how soft you want the yolk. At 2 minutes the yolk is very runny; at 3 minutes it's jammy but still liquid-centered.Press the egg lightly with a slotted spoon to check. The white should feel set but the yolk should still give under pressure."},{"number":7,"title":"Lift, Blot, Season","text":"Lift each egg out with a slotted spoon, let the excess water drain, and blot on a clean kitchen towel. Skip paper towels - they stick and leave fuzz on the egg.Season on the plate with salt and fresh black pepper just before serving."}],"recipe":{"servings":"3 eggs","prepMinutes":12,"cookMinutes":3,"cuisine":null,"ingredients":[{"name":"large eggs","notes":"cold from the fridge is fine","amount":"3"},{"name":"white distilled vinegar","notes":"highest acidity - don't substitute apple cider or wine vinegar","amount":"1 cup (for the pre-soak bath)"},{"name":"water","amount":"1 cup (for the pre-soak bath)"},{"name":"water","amount":"3 to 4 inches deep (for poaching)"},{"name":"salt","amount":"to taste (on the plate)"},{"name":"fresh black pepper","amount":"to taste (on the plate)"}]},"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T13:29:42.871Z","published":"2026-04-24T00:37:31.776Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}