Skillet Poached Eggs

Name: Skillet Poached Eggs
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 to 6 large eggs; 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar; Butter and toast, for serving; Ham and cheese, for serving (optional); Salt and pepper, for serving

By Genevieve Ko

Published Dec. 22, 2021

Skillet Poached Eggs — Sang An for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

Total Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 4(653)
Comments: Read comments

There’s a little trick here that makes poaching eggs easy and prevents them from spreading into flat, floppy disks: rolling the eggs in the boiling water in their shells before cracking them into the pan. This technique helps them maintain their shape when they’re cracked into the boiling water. Because the whites don’t spread, six eggs can fit in a skillet comfortably without running into one another, and you can serve a crowd with little effort. You can use this move to poach fewer eggs, too, of course. No matter how many you cook, you’ll end up with silky eggs for toast, a breakfast sandwich or as an accompaniment to bacon, sausage, waffles or pancakes.

Featured in: These Poached Eggs Aren’t Picture-Perfect. That’s What Makes Them Beautiful.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 6 servings

2 to 6large eggs
1teaspoon distilled white vinegar
Butter and toast, for serving
Ham and cheese, for serving (optional)
Salt and pepper, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Fill a large skillet, ideally one with straight, tall sides, with water to a depth of 1½ inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon, carefully place the whole, uncracked eggs in the water and roll them around for 15 to 20 seconds, so they’re evenly warm. Take them out of the skillet. Add the vinegar to the boiling water.
Step 2
Crack the eggs into the boiling water one at a time, spacing them apart (if they're too hot to the touch, wait a few seconds until they feel OK to handle). Adjust the heat to keep the water steadily and lightly boiling. Let the eggs poach until the whites are opaque and firm, and the yolks are set to your desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes. Gently nudge the yolk with the spoon to check for doneness: Very runny yolks will wobble like a water balloon; standard runny yolks will feel soft but set; firm yolks will feel solid.
Step 3
Transfer to paper towels with the slotted spoon and gently pat dry. Butter toast and layer with ham and cheese, if using. Place poached eggs on top, season with salt and pepper, and top with another pat of butter, if you like.

Ratings

4 out of 5

653 user ratings

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Comments

Charles Michener3 years ago

I have a poached egg (on an English muffin) almost every morning, prepared as suggested byGenevieve Ko, but with a slight difference. I put the un-cracked egg in a mug, then pour boiling water over it and let it sit fully submerged for 10-20 seconds before cracking it into a small measuring cup and slipping it into simmering (never boiling) water. The egg is coddled into shape and the mug is warmed for coffee.

Michael3 years ago

I have never understood why people put vinegar in the water when poaching eggs -- unless they want the eggs to taste of vinegar. I've poached eggs for breakfast for decades. There are a few tricks: 1. Use very fresh eggs. 2. Use a wide, shallow pan. 3. Don't use too much water -- my measure is up to my second knuckle. 4. Turn off the heat and wait for the bubbles to subside before gently cracking the eggs directly into the water. 5. Cover the pan until done.

Chris B3 years ago

My minor variation is that I use tarragon vinegar. It imparts a very faint but nice taste (barely a hint) to the eggs.

Joanna2 months ago

All good ideas, but please DON'T ADD VINEGAR! It spoils the taste of the eggs.

Lys3 months ago

I've always wanted to be able to make poached eggs at home, but I don't use a microwave and I feel like a lot of "easy poached egg" tutorials include a microwave. This is a simple and great stovetop technique even if you don't have everything listed here – I didn't have distilled vinegar or a skillet available, so I used a regular saucepan and water only. My first time making poached eggs, they turned out perfectly!

ShelleyB9 months ago

Hmmm. not sure what went wrong here. Followed directions exactly, including adding the vinegar. But the whites separated more than my old method of just cracking eggs into simmering water with a tsp of vinegar. Will try again, perhaps taking eggs out of fridge earlier and rolling them around in their shells in the gently boiling water a few seconds longer.

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