poach an egg

Meaning

To poach an egg means to cook it cracked open in gently simmering water, without its shell. This technique yields a firm, delicate white and a warm, runny yolk. It requires gentle heat and is often served on toast or as part of Eggs Benedict.

Examples

• It takes some practice to poach an egg perfectly without breaking the yolk.

  It takes some practice to poach an egg perfectly without breaking the yolk.

• She loves to poach an egg and serve it on top of avocado toast for breakfast.

  She loves to poach an egg and serve it on top of avocado toast for breakfast.

• To poach an egg successfully, add a splash of vinegar to the simmering water.

  To poach an egg successfully, add a splash of vinegar to the simmering water.

• I prefer to poach an egg rather than fry it because it uses no oil or butter.

  I prefer to poach an egg rather than fry it because it uses no oil or butter.

• The chef showed us how to swirl the water to poach an egg into a neat, round shape.

  The chef showed us how to swirl the water to poach an egg into a neat, round shape.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I boiled the water aggressively to poach an egg.

  ✓ I brought the water to a gentle simmer to poach an egg.

  Poaching requires gently simmering water. Boiling water is too violent and will break the delicate egg white apart, turning it into a messy web of threads.

• ✗ You need to poach an egg with its shell on.

  ✓ You need to soft-boil an egg with its shell on.

  Poaching specifically refers to cooking the egg cracked directly into the liquid without its shell. If the shell is still on, you are boiling or coddling it.

Related Expressions

Practice

• For a classic plate of Eggs Benedict, you must learn how to ___ perfectly.

  💡 Cook a cracked egg gently in simmering water.

  Show answer

  poach an egg

• I like to ___ and let the warm, runny yolk cover my savory oatmeal.

  💡 Prepare an egg without its shell in hot water.

  Show answer

  poach an egg