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You are here: Home / Breakfast / Perfect Poached Eggs

Perfect Poached Eggs

Updated: 17th April 2025 · Published: 25th January 2014 

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Perfect Poached Eggs are not difficult to make if you follow my easy instructions. Great on toast, as part of an English breakfast or many other meals!

Easy, perfect,

How to Make Perfect Poached Eggs

Are you a breakfast eater or do you sometimes find yourself skipping one of the most important meals of the day? Apparently 47% of us skip breakfast regularly during the week! Farmhouse Breakfast week wants to Shake Up Your Wake Up and aims to encourage the nation to eat a regular healthy breakfast! The week is organised on behalf of UK cereal farmers and producers. I received a lovely hamper of healthy breakfast treats, which I look forward to sampling. To follow the various activities taking place, you can use the #BreakfastWeek if you’re on Twitter.

Hamper, Stokes Sauces, Cereal, Bananas

We wouldn’t expect our cars to run without petrol, so I do believe we really should take the time to have breakfast to fuel ourselves for the morning ahead.

There have been many reports in the news about teachers noticing their pupils (who’ve skipped breakfast) flagging and having poor concentration. Then there are adults who think that they will lose weight by skipping breakfast, but small healthy meals/snacks are better for your body.

You’re more likely to have an unhealthy snack later if you miss a healthy breakfast. Breakfast eaters have more energy, higher concentration levels, and are less stressed – you owe it to yourself to eat breakfast!

The best breakfast to have is one that isn’t overloaded with sugar, so for example, 2 slices of white toast with marmalade will give you a sugar high, which will then come crashing down to leave you feeling tired and hungry all of a sudden.

Hence, on occasions when I have toast, I’ll opt for wholemeal with my homemade jam on one slice and some Marmite or cheese on the other slice to have a balance.

It’s much better to have whole grains, and oats are particularly good as they release their energy slowly. Avoid sugary cereals for your children and opt for plain, whole-grain ones where you can add a little soft brown sugar if needed.

Perfect, easy, recipe, wholemeal toast

At the weekends, it’s nice to make something for breakfast that you just don’t have time for midweek.

My family’s favourite weekend breakfast isn’t anything fancy but just a good old-fashioned poached egg on wholemeal toast. It ticks all the boxes for a healthy breakfast and doesn’t contain any sugar, so no danger of an energy low before lunchtime.

I’ve made poached eggs so often that my family now says I’m an expert, which I will take! I recently watched a famous chef giving a cookery demo, and he was all full of the theory, which included iced water at the end, but his egg went solid, much to the disappointment of the awaiting crowd!

So if you want a no-hassle poached egg “recipe” that just works, then follow the steps below. If you are using smaller eggs, then allow for that in the timing. It’s all trial and error, really, to find what works best for you!

Perfect, easy,
Vinegar stops the eggs from going stringy!

For more breakfast ideas on my Fab Food  All, go to my breakfast category, where you will find a whole host of recipes.

Recipes using Poached Eggs

Quick Poached Egg & Garlic Spinach Bagel served on a white plate on a slate.
Quick Poached Egg & Garlic Spinach Bagel
  • Quick Poached Egg & Garlic Spinach Bagel
  • Avocado Stuffed French Toast with Poached Egg – gluten free
  • Soft Poached Eggs, Sweetcorn Fritters & Crispy Bacon
  • Quick Tom Yum Soup with Poached Egg
Avocado Stuffed French Toast with Poached Egg - gluten free using Newburn Bakehouse by Warburtons White Sourdough Artisan Cob @fabfood4all
Avocado Stuffed French Toast with Poached Egg

You can’t go wrong with my recipe for perfect poached eggs. Do let me know how you get on in the comments below and leave a rating too! Plus, you can share your pics with me by tagging @FabFood4All on social media.

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post but received a hamper of breakfast goodies from the Wake Up Your Shake Up campaign.

Perfect poached egg on toast.
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Perfect Poached Eggs on Toast

The perfect poached egg on toast has a runny yolk and a solid white which you’ll achieve if you follow my simple steps!
Course Breakfast, Light Lunch
Cuisine British
Prep Time 3 minutes minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes minutes
Total Time 6 minutes minutes
Servings 1 +
Author Camilla Hawkins

Ingredients

  • Eggs large
  • 2 – 3 glugs of white distilled vinegar about a tablespoon, though I’ve never measured
  • Buttered wholemeal toast
  • Salt

Instructions

  • Fill a frying pan with 3.5cm of boiling water from the kettle (energy efficient).
  • Add the vinegar and bring back to the boil.
  • Break the egg into a ramekin/small bowl and gently lower the egg into the water tipping out gently, continue with the number of eggs required.
  • Time the eggs for 3 minutes to have a cooked white and a runny yolk. If you prefer yours firmer just increase the time by a minute.
  • Using a slotted spoon, place your eggs onto a couple of sheets of kitchen roll to blot away any residual water.
  • Place on buttered toast and serve with a sprinkle of salt or ketchup if desired.

Notes

The vinegar is vitally important to enable the egg to keep its shape and not spread whilst cooking!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stevie

    05/11/2015 at 3:45 pm

    I’d love to try these. I practice but they never look quite right.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      06/11/2015 at 12:39 am

      Do try this method and let me know if you have a better outcome!

      Reply
  2. Jane Davies

    22/04/2015 at 11:13 pm

    Delicious, can’t beat it, especially on a lazy Sunday morning !

    Reply
  3. Kaci Soderstrom

    11/01/2015 at 12:49 am

    Poached eggs are absolutely amazing.

    Reply
  4. Paul Wilson

    07/10/2014 at 1:13 am

    Important to have a good breakfast.

    Reply
  5. William Gould

    05/09/2014 at 11:16 am

    I always struggle with poached eggs no matter what I try!

    Reply
  6. Kat Tew

    04/07/2014 at 12:39 pm

    I would love to know the science behind why the vinger works.

    Reply
  7. Herbert Appleby

    25/06/2014 at 4:54 pm

    I see two eggs in your pan, is this possible due to the vinegar alone and did you spin the water around when you dropped them in?
    thanks

    Reply
    • Camilla

      26/06/2014 at 5:11 pm

      There’s no spinning involved just a shallow pan of water with the eggs lowered/tipped slowly into the vinegar water which lets them keep their shape:-)

      Reply
  8. Bev

    17/06/2014 at 12:53 pm

    Oh I love poached eggs but can never get them quite right – will have to try this method!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      17/06/2014 at 10:58 pm

      Do let me know how you get on:-)

      Reply
  9. Herbert Appleby

    11/04/2014 at 11:04 pm

    I did not know about the vinegar rule – thank you, my years of fear are over 🙂

    Reply
    • Camilla

      11/04/2014 at 11:49 pm

      Glad to be of help:-)

      Reply
  10. Heather Haigh

    23/02/2014 at 4:50 am

    My hubby adores poached eggs.

    Reply
  11. Ursula Hunt

    16/02/2014 at 1:11 pm

    Breakfast this morning – perfect

    Reply
  12. Ursula Hunt

    03/02/2014 at 12:54 pm

    Lunch for me today, doesn’t have to be breakfast for me to a poached egg:)

    Reply
  13. Laura Wilce

    02/02/2014 at 1:08 pm

    I’ll have to try this method. I’ve yet to find one that works for me, and I love a good poached egg!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      02/02/2014 at 2:40 pm

      Do let me know how you get on:-)

      Reply
  14. Helen Bailey

    01/02/2014 at 1:20 am

    I wish my poached eggs turned out like this. I’ve tried umpteen ways, including the vinegar trick, but they never look this good. Seem to have mastered a runny yoke, though (I cook them for 3 mins too). A good excuse to give it another go tomorrow!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      01/02/2014 at 2:34 pm

      Do let me know how you get one:-) Wishing you success:-)

      Reply
  15. Claire

    31/01/2014 at 7:35 pm

    Hmmm, I love poached eggs, but have never mastered them perfectly in a panof water (I cheat and use a poaching pan). I will give your method a try 🙂

    Reply
  16. Anne Wallwin

    30/01/2014 at 10:42 am

    ooh now i now what to have for lunch!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      30/01/2014 at 2:40 pm

      Hope you enjoyed your lunch:-)

      Reply
  17. Jen @ Blue Kitchen Bakes

    26/01/2014 at 10:18 pm

    I don’t function at all without food and tea in my belly first thing in the morning, breakfast is absolutely essential. I rarely make eggs for breakfast but I was treated to poached egg on toast when I stayed at my Grandma’s last weekend, she likes to spoil me 🙂

    Reply
    • Camilla

      26/01/2014 at 10:25 pm

      Aah, that’s lovely. My mum makes the best scrambled eggs, must watch her making them as she sometimes makes them for lunch for me and the kids:-)

      Reply
  18. Fish fingers for tea

    26/01/2014 at 9:49 pm

    Lovely looking poached egg Camilla! I’m afraid egg poaching is a skill that I’m still working on, I’m very hit and miss so will have to give your method a go!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      26/01/2014 at 10:24 pm

      Thanks Sian. It did take a lot of misses to get to this stage LOL:-)

      Reply
  19. What Kate Baker

    26/01/2014 at 6:56 pm

    The day doesn’t begin without breakfast! I love especially the lazy brunch breakfasts that Mark the start of the weekend…bliss!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      26/01/2014 at 7:40 pm

      Exactly and if I’ve had to rush out without breakfast I feel really rotten.

      Reply
  20. Janice

    26/01/2014 at 6:35 pm

    Not sure what I did wrong, but wasn’t chosen for Breakfast week this time 🙁 Anyway, I love a poached egg. I like to use poachies little pockets to make them, but they are only one use so not very sustainable. Still supporting Breakfast Week as I strongly believe that lack of breakfast is the cause of ALL the ills of the world lol!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      26/01/2014 at 7:42 pm

      I’m sure you didn’t do anything wrong Janice you went above and beyond the call of duty last year. I was surprised to be asked this year, they’re probably just using all new people to “Shake Up” the campaign a bit!

      Reply
      • Janice

        26/01/2014 at 10:09 pm

        I’m sure you are right 🙂

        Reply
  21. Corina

    26/01/2014 at 10:45 am

    I love breakfast and never miss it but I’m a bit stuck in my ways – toast every day at the moment. I need to try and add some variety but I’m never very creative first thing in the morning – not even to poach an egg! I’m more likely to do this for an easy lunch.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      26/01/2014 at 2:23 pm

      I was like that for years but realise it’s best to have a variety so during the week I’ll stick with cereal and might mix a wholegrain one with some added muesli for some texture and extra vitamins and minerals. We often have our poached eggs quite late so they’re more like brunch:-)

      Reply
  22. Paul Wilson

    26/01/2014 at 10:05 am

    I always have trouble making my poached eggs runny. I’ll give this a go.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      26/01/2014 at 2:23 pm

      Do let me know how you get on:-)

      Reply
  23. Maya Russell

    26/01/2014 at 6:25 am

    Thank you for the vinegar tip. Must have fresh, good quality eggs as well. I think I’ll give this a go. Thanks for the recip.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      26/01/2014 at 2:24 pm

      Glad to be of help:-)

      Reply
  24. Tracy Nixon

    26/01/2014 at 6:13 am

    I love eggs – scrambled, poached and boiled but not fried though! I often make scrambled or poached eggs for breakfast as I find them healthy and filling! Lovely idea thank you x

    Reply
    • Camilla

      26/01/2014 at 2:25 pm

      I’m not keen on fried either as they tend to go leathery.

      Reply
  25. Hafsah

    25/01/2014 at 10:59 pm

    Yum, the yolk is just perfect!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      25/01/2014 at 11:46 pm

      Thank you:-)

      Reply
  26. Ninjacat

    25/01/2014 at 8:58 pm

    That looks amazing such a bright yoke

    Reply
    • Camilla

      25/01/2014 at 9:01 pm

      Thanks Claire:-)

      Reply
  27. Deena Kakaya

    25/01/2014 at 5:32 pm

    Brilliant! Did you see Jamie’s cling film thing? X

    Reply
    • Camilla

      25/01/2014 at 9:00 pm

      No Deena, what’s with cling film?

      Reply
  28. Ursula Hunt

    25/01/2014 at 1:19 pm

    My favourite way to have an egg is poached. If we are away I judge a breakfast by the chef’s ability to perfectly poach an egg!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      25/01/2014 at 5:20 pm

      They are great aren’t they:-)

      Reply

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