There’s nothing like an oozy poached egg. Whether dished up on toast, with ham or with fish – there are so many ways to enjoy the tasty meal.
But, even though we may love to tuck into it, it can be super tricky to get right. Now, we may not have to worry, as a chef has confirmed how to perfect your eggs every time. It turns out, all you need to do is add a simple ingredient to water when you poach the eggs.
A chef, from London’s Fallow Restaurant, has confirmed exactly what people need to do to poach eggs like a professional. The trick is quite simple when you know what you’re doing.
In a TikTok video, he starts by popping the egg in water, but there’s a crucial ingredient you need to add. A drop of vinegar will work wonders during the cooking process.
In the clip, he explains: “You want around 85 to 90 degrees, three minutes. People always say you need to stir the water.
“Personally, I don’t believe you really need to. If you’re not cooking with vinegar, I guess the stirring method could work, but I always use vinegar.
“Just get it out of the water, plunge it right into ice water. There you go – perfectly poached egg.”
The video has been viewed over 3,000 times since it was shared, and people were quick to comment too. They had lots of different thoughts on how a poached egg should be cooked though.
One person said: “10-1 vinegar ratio usually helps me.” Another added: “Looks great. I usually put vinegar in a cup or something that fits the egg in, then let the egg sit for 30 minutes. Then there is no excess egg white.”
Why you should add vinegar to water
Many cooks add vinegar to the poaching water as the acidity in the vinegar helps the egg whites to coagulate faster. This stops them from spreading out too much.
Therefore, you should be left with a more defined, neatly shaped poached egg. The vinegar essentially works to set the egg white quickly so it’s more likely to stay together.
