Poached Egg Timer
Free poached egg timer. 4 minutes for a perfectly poached egg with a runny yolk and delicate white. Ideal for eggs Benedict.
🍳 Poached: Lower eggs into boiling water, click Start, and wait for the chime. Transfer to an ice bath immediately when done. Result: runny yolk, delicate white.
About poached eggs
Poached eggs cook 3-4 minutes in just-simmering water (185°F / 85°C). Whites are tender, yolks are fully runny. The eggs Benedict classic.
Benefits
- ·Restaurant-quality presentation
- ·Runny yolk like soft-boiled but no shell
- ·Sits beautifully on toast / Benedict
- ·Lower fat than fried eggs
- ·Quick cooking
How it works
Heat water to gentle simmer (NOT rolling boil). Add 1 tsp white vinegar (helps whites coagulate). Crack egg into small cup. Stir water in spiral, slip egg into vortex. Cook 3 min for runny, 4 for slightly set. Lift with slotted spoon.
Vinegar speeds up protein coagulation (proteins bind faster in acidic water). Modern molecular techniques: wrap egg in cling film for perfect shape. Julia Child popularised classic poaching technique.
Who uses poached eggs
Brunch enthusiasts, Eggs Benedict makers, low-fat cooking practitioners, restaurant-quality home cooks.
Poached Egg Timer
Free poached egg timer. 4 minutes for a perfectly poached egg with a runny yolk and delicate white. Ideal for eggs Benedict.
Related
Frequently asked questions
What does a poached egg actually look like inside?
A soft-boiled egg has fully set white but completely runny yolk — almost the texture of warm honey. The yolk runs when the egg is split. Classic with toast soldiers (the British breakfast tradition); the runny yolk is for dipping. Soft-boiled is 4 minutes from rolling boil with large eggs at room temperature.
How is a 4-minute soft-boiled egg different from a poached egg?
Soft-boiled is cooked in the shell at full boil for 4 minutes; poached is cooked out of the shell in just-simmering water for 3 minutes. Texturally similar (runny yolk, set white) but the white differs: soft-boiled white is more uniformly set; poached white is silky and has the characteristic loose tail.
Why does my poached egg fall apart in the water?
Two causes: water temperature and egg freshness. Water must be at a bare simmer, ~80-85°C — full boil destroys the white. Older eggs (10+ days) have looser whites that scatter; fresh eggs (under a week) hold together better. Add 1 tsp white vinegar per cup of water to firm the white quickly. Stir to create a vortex before dropping the egg.
Can I poach eggs in advance for brunch service?
Yes — restaurant trick: poach to slightly under-done, transfer to ice water bath. To serve, dip back in 75°C water for 1 minute to reheat without overcooking. This is how brunch spots serve perfect poached eggs to dozens of tables simultaneously.