The best way to crack a perfect poached egg

Poached eggs have never been more fashionable, with Instagram full of smooth, shiny, firm white eggs that are pierced to reveal pools of golden yolk that spill onto beds of smashed avocado.

Now there’s a new method flying around the internet to create the perfect one, which involves cracking your eggs into a bowl of cold, diluted vinegar before cooking them in a pan of barely simmering water.

So, does it work? Or can any of these gadgets do a better job? Food writer ANNE SHOOTER goes further to find out. . .

DILUTED VINEGAR

HOW TO DO IT: I have been poaching eggs with vinegar in a pan of boiling water for years. But it’s difficult to get perfectly shaped poached eggs consistently.

Food writer Anne Shooter tries out a new method that’s been flying around the internet, which involves cracking your eggs into a bowl of cold, diluted vinegar before cooking them in a pan of barely simmering water.

So I was curious to try this method, made famous in a YouTube video, viewed more than 14.4 million times, by the American TV channel Food Network.

As indicated, I put 500 ml of cold water in a bowl and added 250 ml of white wine vinegar mixed with cider vinegar. I cracked a few eggs in and waited. Within a few minutes, a visible membrane began to form around the eggs, allowing me to scoop them up with a spoon and place them in my pot of almost boiling water, where they cooked for a few minutes.

DID IT WORK? Yes! My poached eggs were perfect: smooth and oval, with firm whites and runny yolks. 10/10

AIR FRYING

Unfortunately, poaching eggs in the air fryer was not a success – Anne had poached eggs, but they looked terrible

HOW TO DO IT: I love my twin-drawer air fryer (£99.99, lakeland.co.uk), especially for crispy veg, moist salmon and delicious chicken. But eggs? I wasn’t sure.

Many TikTok videos show people cracking eggs into bowls or silicone containers coated with oil, pouring hot water over them, and then cooking them in the air fryer for a few minutes, with amazing results. So that’s what I did.

DID IT WORK? I had poached eggs but they looked awful. The water evaporated quickly making the tops of the eggs crispy. They were difficult to get out of the silicone holders I ordered on Amazon. 4/10

THE MICROWAVE

HOW TO DO IT: I ordered a two egg poacher from Amazon (£7.29). I filled the outer reservoir with water, oiled the ‘colanders’, cracked the eggs into it, popped the lid on and microwaved it for three minutes.

DID IT WORK? There was a loud bang as the timer went off and I opened the door to find a mess of egg particles and water. I tried again, checking every 30 seconds and after two and a half minutes, when the egg whites had set, I took them out. The yolks seemed to cook at the same time as the whites, so they were completely firm. 3/10

THE DOUBLE ‘SPOON’

The double ladle method worked well: the eggs were a good shape and had firm whites and soft yolks

HOW TO DO IT: This cheerful yellow gadget made by Eddingtons (£8.50, sainsburys.co.uk) looks like two perforated ladles on a handle. I oiled it, cracked the eggs into it, and hung it over the edge of my pot of boiling water. You can easily check how they are doing by lifting the poacher and using a small prick to ensure they are cooked to your liking.

DID IT WORK? Yes. This was very easy to use and the eggs were a good shape and had firm whites and soft yolks. It only wins points because you need a particularly deep pan to use it properly and who has the trouble of washing a large pan just to poach a few eggs? 8/10

EGG POAKER BAGS

Jamie Oliver’s egg poaching didn’t come out on top – the yolks were a bit firm and the shape was a bit skimpy

HOW TO DO IT: Jamie Oliver has a way of poaching eggs where he wraps the raw eggs in cling film and this is a less sticky, less tricky take on it.

There are several versions of these little paper bags, but I used the Poachies product (£2.32 for 20, amazon.co.uk).

You put them in a cup or glass, crack the eggs into them, lift them up and drop them into boiling water, pinching the top edges as you do so. I thought they might split, but they are sturdier than they look. You can’t see the eggs through the paper, so you have to guess when they’re ready.

DID IT WORK? I have to get used to the timing because after five minutes, as the package indicated, the yolks were a bit firm. Also, the shape was a bit skimpy for my taste. 5/10

EGG RIGHTS

HOW TO DO IT: I had high hopes for these silicone gadgets made by Good Grips (£11.99, souschef.co.uk).

They look like egg cups with a solid piece on top and an inverted perforated ‘cage’ underneath.

You put them in a pan with boiling water and break the eggs into it.

They then fall through, into the perforated chamber below, and cook there.

DID IT WORK? One fell over, which was probably my fault for simmering the water too vigorously. They held the eggs in place, but they are large and take up too much drawer space to have a permanent place in my kitchen. 6/10