Today in our Test Kitchen, we’re tackling egg poaching. Poached eggs are typically known for having tender soft whites, gooey yolks and for being difficult to make. We won’t argue with you – traditional egg poaching takes some practice, and some time. Time you probably don’t have on most week days.
Enter microwave poached eggs! Too good to be true? Perhaps, but we went for it anyway. Here’s what we did:
- Take a microwaveable glass measuring cup and fill it with ½ cup of water
- Crack a large egg and gently place it into the water in the glass cup
- Microwave for approximately 50 seconds. If the whites look runny, zap for 2-3 more seconds at a time, until desired consistency is reached
- Gently strain water out of cup (you can use a slotted spoon to catch the egg)
- Place on food of choice (we love to top a salad with a poached egg – not just because it’s delicious but there’s some pretty good health reasons for doing it, too!
Our verdict? Eggceptable – with some caveats. Microwaves are finicky, with lots of different cook times for the perfect poach. There’s no getting around that. Make sure your egg is completely covered by the water, otherwise the egg could explode(no one wants to scrape egg whites off their microwave door). But with a little bit of practice, you can make a pretty great egg.
It’s also important to know this style of poaching does not exactly deliver on the pillowy, cloud-like quality a traditional poach can get you. It’s more of a, “I want a poached egg on my avocado toast while I’m running out of the house” presentation. Same great taste, though! Try it out yourself and leave a comment below on how it worked for you!
The recipes and/or methods tested within this blog post have been created/tested by American Egg Board staff members and are provided for informational purposes only. The recipes/methods are intended for residential use by persons having appropriate technical skill, with proper and sanitary kitchen equipment and conditions. Use of these recipes and/or methods are at your own discretion and risk. We assume no obligation or liability, and make no warranties, with respect to these recipes and/or methods.
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