Poached egg spreading

An egg white is two whites

Egg white comes in two layers: a thick gel closest to the yolk and a thinner, more liquid layer outside it. In a very fresh egg the thick layer is substantial and holds the egg together. As the egg ages, that thick white progressively breaks down into thin white.

When an old egg goes into water, the thin outer white disperses immediately into wisps and the remaining thick white is not enough to hold a neat shape.

This is why the single most useful thing you can do about poaching is to buy fresher eggs, and why every other trick is a way of managing an egg that is not fresh enough.

Poaching one that holds together

1. Use the freshest eggs you have. If they are more than a week or so old, expect to strain.
2. Crack the egg into a fine sieve over a bowl and let the thin white drain away — perhaps fifteen seconds. This single step does more than vinegar and a vortex combined.
3. Tip the drained egg into a small cup or ramekin.
4. Bring a wide pan of water to a bare simmer — small bubbles rising, not a rolling boil. A hard boil tears the egg apart.
5. Add a splash of vinegar if you like. It helps the white set slightly faster and is not essential.
6. Lower the cup to the surface and slide the egg in gently.
7. Cook for three minutes or so without stirring, then lift it out with a slotted spoon and rest it briefly on kitchen paper.

What each trick actually does

Straining the thin white

The most effective step by a distance. Removes the part that disperses.

Fresh eggs

Equally effective and not always available. A very fresh egg needs no other help.

Vinegar

Lowers the pH slightly so the white sets a little faster. Modest effect, and too much makes the white tough and sour.

A vortex

Wraps the white around the yolk. Works for one egg at a time and is impractical for four.

Cling film or a poaching pod

Reliable and gives a different shape — a smooth sphere rather than the ragged classic. Not really poaching.

Salt in the water

Makes the white spread more, not less. Leave it out.

Other things that go wrong

• Water boiling rather than simmering. The agitation tears the egg apart. A bare simmer, always.
• Too shallow a pan. The egg hits the bottom before the white has set. Use enough water to give it a few seconds of falling.
• Dropping the egg from a height. Slide it in from a cup at the surface.
• Too many at once, which drops the water temperature and makes them stick together.
• Stirring after the egg goes in, which is the fastest way to destroy it.
• Poached ahead: they can be poached, refreshed in iced water, and reheated in hot water for thirty seconds. Useful for a crowd.

Common questions