Super Simple Tricks For Perfect Poached Eggs

When poaching, it's crucial to use high-quality, recently laid eggs. As eggs age, the proteins within the albumen break down, becoming more watery and less gelatinous.

As a not-so-fresh egg hits the almost-boiling water, the white disperses, sending the albumen in all directions and exposing the yolk to direct heat, resulting in uneven cooking.

As a rule of thumb, for a single poached egg, a medium sized pan will do, with at least four inches of water. An egg can sink and flatten in a pan that's too small.

When this happens, the egg's shape tends to more closely resemble a fried egg. It also takes away the opportunity to create a jammy, runny yolk.

When poaching, the vigorous nature of boiling water is liable to rip your egg apart, so you'll need to take things a little more slowly, instead.

Set the temperature to a gentle simmer — around 180 degrees F — to provide enough heat to cook the egg without over-exciting the water.

As an egg cooks, the protein within the whites begins to break down and solidify, which relies on significant heat. However, increased acidity can have the same effect.

Dr. Robert Keyzers at the Victoria University of Wellington says that adding drops of vinegar to the boiling water can "...help the poached egg hold its shape better."

Breaking an egg into a bowl before poaching will give you the control you need, allowing you to slide the egg under the water's surface without fear it will break.

You'll want to choose a bowl that is small enough to encourage the egg to keep its shape — you can even use something like a ramekin.