Easy Poached Egg | Kenji's Cooking Show

[@PhilipLaRocca]

Kenji always creates value in his videos. It's never a "rinse and repeat" of something you've seen before. You're the man, Kenji!

[@donscott6431]

Thanks for the “no vinegar” comment. I cook breakfast at a Greek restaurant and have advocated this for a long time. I keep a 6” 1/2 pan simmering at 195-205 on a back gas burner for my poached eggs. I find that this gives me the perfect amount of time to make my “Benedict sets” before the eggs get done: the more orders for Benedict ( whether , ham, salmon, crabcake, or veggie with spinach tomato and avocado ), the more eggs I’ll drop. The more eggs I put in (cooling the poaching water), the longer it takes for them to cook; giving more time to make “sets”😊

[@tilmanarchivar8945]

Thats genius

[@canaryhoang989]

Please can u do demo video

[@Vandhu457]

Hey If we cook them in water for longer.. Will it still taste ok.. I like mine around 70% -80% done than very runny... So can I leave them in for 7-9 mins? Thanks for reading.

[@donscott6431]

@@Vandhu457 if you want to pre-cook poached eggs: bring water to slightly rolling boil 220 deg. Drop eggs in and cook 90-120 seconds then with a slotted spoon remove them to a bowl of water with ice in it. Leave eggs in iced water until you need them. Then re-drop into boiling water for 1 minute: remove and serve. They can stay in cold water indefinitely with no effect on flavor

[@rlliures4416]

Im a chef in a brunch too, thats my tecnique too, congrat friend.

[@megcasey9902]

Straining the eggs is so key! I started doing that after a video you did on cooking a ton of poached eggs at a time. It’s a real game changer. Thanks.

[@thomastessier4529]

Some of the best-looking poached eggs I have ever seen cooked.

[@TwilightxKnight13]

Wow, those are the cleanest poached eggs I have ever seen in a simple water bath. Great job!

[@alexisverbic4509]

Ok, I'm back! I watched this video yesterday, because I wanted to make Eggs Benedict for my husband's birthday breakfast today. I followed the video exactly and they came out picture perfect!!!! I was so egg-cited!!!! And it was so easy too! Thanks a million for posting this video. My husbands 70th birthday breakfast was a winner!!!!!!

[@AmiableGrace]

This is one of those Kenji Basics I’ve done for years but I still learned by watching him do it!

[@derrickbeaubearic4100]

This has to be the best poached eggs video on KZbin 👍

[@maxh4195]

This kinda inspired me this morning. Poached egg over broken up cornbread topped with bacon bits and chives. It’s like biscuits and gravy but egg yolk gravy. Savory, sweet, and salty bacon. Definitely a hit.

[@PlenusPotent]

Through the years, I’ve been watching how to poach an egg off and on, this is the best explanation of doing it, right. Thank you

[@kgreene460]

I never knew about the straining of the loose egg white part, thank you, I will do that from now on because they do look so much nicer!

[@greenk89]

I like that you're exploring new options but the gopro is way better and less dizzying

[@chrisgraham1364]

Ya, the GoPro makes me feel like I'M the chef. Unique and much preferred.

[@kairavi]

I agree, the auto-panning creates this parallax effect that makes me dizzy

[@myopiczeal]

The auto-pan is a bit nauseating at times, but I like the third-person version better, personally.

[@fabart]

First saw the strain first tip on Nigella - absolute game changer! Plus NOT a rolling simmer, more a shimmer does the trick

[@GabrielEvans]

I can imagine kenji saying to his kids “oh no! One broke as I was putting on the rice!" And the kids not crying but being silently sad about it. We appreciate the sacrifice.

[@katydidiy]

Bet Kenji would make more if somebody started crying❤

[@designingirl]

I feel like he'd be such a nice guy he'd make one more no prob.

[@baublesanddolls]

My kids are grown and I just watched my grandchildren for five days and forgot about the crying over simple things like that. How dare I give the wrong colour cup to the wrong granddaughter? lol

[@networkn]

Heh, my kids are picky about their eggs having runny yolks esp when we eat at cafes. We always make sure they know, but one place they tried 5 times and still didn't do it right. I said to the owner as I left, as nicely as I could, that if your chef can't do eggs however they are asked for, and your barista can't make decent coffee, you need different people.

[@ryonmerrick3112]

Don't know why I've always been intimidated by poaching eggs. Looks wonderful!

[@designingirl]

Mine always always always stick to the bottom of the pan, and it is a nightmare to get them off... I just hate it. THat's why I don't make them often.

[@Sebonotik]

I´ve failed with most of my attempts making them, trying to replicate other poached egg videos i have seen. I´ll be giving it another go based off of Kenji´s method when I tire of fried egg dishes.

[@jimanderson7325]

Scared the absolute hell out of me. I’ve been wanting to do eggs Benny for a while and it is like BASE jumping level scary for me for some reason

[@brisketchick]

@@designingirl that's been my experience as well! This video makes me want to try again, though, because I do love me some poached eggs.

[@invisiblekid99]

Yeah me too. Keep thinking you need the vortex and the right amount of vinegar. But will try again.

[@JohnDiFrancesco]

The fine-mesh strainer hack is an absolute game-changer. Thank you Kenji!

[@robadr13]

Most generally useful/helpful cooking channel ever. 😊

[@atzk0510]

Haven't really gone on the cooking side of KZbin in months but you're looking great Kenji! And this video came at a very good time. I've been upping my egg intake for more cheap protein and have been looking for different ways to cook my eggs.

[@phylliscraine]

There are so many good ways to poach an egg. I do strain mine and while the water is coming up to temp I also put each one in a 1:1 bath of vinegar:water, just 1 oz of each. The mild vinegar solution ceviches the outer cell layer of the egg white and it slips into the water as a perfect sphere. I don't notice any vinegar flavor in the finished poached egg because the egg sits in the vinegar:water solution for just a minute or so.

[@FunkFelicity]

But kenji's point was that this wasn't needed, do you still think the vinegar is that useful?

[@brewerfireguy]

Good tip on the poached eggs. Also, that cast iron rack in the background is very cool!

[@LynxenX]

Hey kenji, please either increase the framerate of your recording or decrease the sensitivity of the auto-tracking on your camera as its causing me (and some others im sure) to get motion sick. Thanks!

[@fruitbat8379]

Completely agree, love Kenji’s videos but it’s too sensitive unfortunately and hard to watch

[@dAfoodie101]

i can’t even watch any of these videos with my family because they all get motion sick 😭

[@littlewolf9049]

Birds throw their hatchlings out of the nest if they aren't right.

[@jeffreydlayman]

Kenjie, does this strategy change for eggs outside the US? I’m in the Netherlands and none of my eggs behaved the way yours did when I tried this.

[@abemand369]

Love how Kenji always makes cooking less intimidating.

[@mchlwllmthms]

Very easy, I was intimidated by the process, but this really helped. I have two things to add to the conversation: Firstly, when adding the eggs to the boiling water, I had an issue where the hot water caused the eggs to start cooking and stick to the bowl making them a little harder to transfer and leaving some of the egg behind. I find that putting a little water in the bowl with the eggs before hand solves this problem. Secondly, is the freshness of the eggs a factor in how much white is "loose" vs contained?

[@txag007]

Very cool! That seems a lot easier than I had always thought. Thanks Kenji!

[@maryhenry]

It never occurred to me to flip an egg I was poaching. My life is changed. Thanks, Kenji.

[@dallassukerkin6878]

I had the same sense of revelation :D

[@ExtremeBeatlesArchive]

Nice video. Very egg-ducational! Did you turn the burner off before easing the eggs into the water?

[@JamesChavez]

Kenji's looking trim and fit.

[@timschmidt4466]

Yes, I thought this was from years ago!

[@LawrenceGill27]

He's looking more Japanese these days too. It's a good look for him.

[@Mirrale]

@@LawrenceGill27I thought he looked more Japanese when he was rocking his samurai hairdo

[@marciamakesmusic]

​@@LawrenceGill27wtf does this even mean

[@CarlosRodriguez-dd4sb]

Right? Looking healthy

[@BarneyCarroll]

I believe the viscous aspect of the whites is a question of quality and freshness. Before foxes won the war, friends of mine used to keep a chicken coop and I was always amazed by the robust, plump surface tension of their eggs - they would sometimes stand close to an inch tall when cracked into a frying pan & were extremely resistant to homogenisation with a fork. By contrast I just tried the sieve method with some week-old eggs I got from the farmers market and lost over a third of the volume instantly (so I just put it back in the pan halfway through, and have a big wispy cloud to go with my tiny eggs :P)

[@cactustactics]

Yeah freshness definitely matters - it's the same with a fried egg, you get a nice solid shape with a fresh one, but leave them too long and they definitely spread out when they hit the pan

[@katydidiy]

I pour that part of the whites into a recycled jelly jar and freeze them (or all the whites when using just the yolks). Easily thawed in a bowl of warm water. Perfect for breading.

[@BarneyCarroll]

@@katydidiy oh that’s interesting - what do you mean by ‘breading’ in this context?

[@Zack-xu2zw]

@@BarneyCarroll people put egg whites on the top surface of bread to give it a nice shine I think? I'm sure there is more to it though

[@donscott6431]

I’ve had, in the past, a problem with premium “free range” eggs: the whites being too watery for frying (the yolks would burst AFTER gently placing in the pan). I think that it has to do with where the chickens are “ranging” ergo, what and how much protein they’re consuming. Chickens are omnivorous. Possibly the feed of captive chickens provides a more “strong” white…

[@networkn]

I was today years old when I learned there were two types of egg whites. Been cooking a fair bit for the past 25 years! Thanks KLA

[@MealsMedia]

Hey Kenji! I just wanted to let you know as a follow up that I ended up going to Blotto and LOVED IT! I got the Pepperoni and Peppers with some orange wine and the crust was just how I like it as a CT native!

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

They are awesome!

[@imd2b48c]

This was like watching magic 🤩 I love the little dad jab at 2:50 🤣

[@Chursh]

Daym Kenji! You're looking healthy! Good job man!

[@oe3phen]

he must be restricting all the pizzas and burgers exclusively to on-camera time otherwise he's working some kind of dark magic lol

[@fordhouse8b]

Looks like a great haircut too!

[@rachelmruizmsw3346]

You are amazing 👏 I thought I had to put viniger to make the eggs come out perfect! I learned something new ❤ Thank you!!!!

[@alexisverbic4509]

What a wonderful video!!! I just love this!!! I am making Eggs Benedict for my husband for his birthday tomorrow morning and I can't wait to do this!!!! Thanks again!!!!

[@rioborzeli147]

Great Thank you , You are right when vinegar is added to texture of the exterior of the egg does get tough.

[@marksimpson2321]

I think poaching an egg well is a sign of someone who knows what they're about and i have never seen such beautifully shaped poached eggs. ❤😊

[@judyormshaw3293]

I can’t wait to try this. I love poached eggs but am always unsuccessful at actually doing it well.

[@joaovitorjoaovitor]

I've tried the vortex a few times, but it didn't seem to make a difference for me. Sometimes it actually disrupted the structure of the eggs. Fresh eggs + straining the liquidy whites seems to be more important.

[@philoctetes_wordsworth]

That spoon is no longer available. I assume similarly slotted or vented spoons will work similarly?

[@DylanHunter64]

Did you kill the heat as soon as you put em in the water? I noticed the boiling basically stopped completely just before they went in.

[@maisumfrancisco]

looks like he killed it at 1:28

[@personperson2380]

poached eggs are finished at a lower temperature that doesn't necessitate anything more than a simmer. how you get there is up to you (either kill the heat or drop it down or whatever). boiling activity might cause the eggs to break, too

[@DylanHunter64]

@@personperson2380 That makes sense

[@malcontent_1]

Love it - thanks for a quick & easy solution to one of my cooking conundrums.

[@GrikWorldNomad]

What happened to the heat? Water was gently boiling when eggs went in, then what? How long to cook?

[@Kenzamaka]

Lovely video, I've made eggless gyudon for myself but it felt like something was missing. I'm ready to try poaching an egg for the first time. It might not turn out perfect but you gotta start somewhere! Cheers.

[@durwinboler]

Merry Christmas Kenji! This video is EXACTLY what I needed this morning!

[@philipquinn1226]

Hi I just came across ur video and seen the poached eggs. This has to be the best around tip on cooking the eggs. As I no vinegar can help with holding the whites. But I don't like vinegar.And I just want to taste the egg. Thank u for ur tops today. I can't wait to try ur tip. Cheers xo

[@AliReza-jq3gc]

Kenji, thanks for coming to Dalton and for signing books for our kids!

[@hadifespro9337]

do i turn off the heat when i put the eggs into the pot?

[@vdevil]

Just tried this method and it worked like a charm! Thanks Kenji!

[@johnHofweber]

never needed to strain eggs to poach; tried it long ago, no need; just use 2 Tbs white vinegar for 2 cups water, no aftertaste, no 'textural' issues, never fails; flipping once is a good idea

[@yakuve]

Lol, I just came from another video where they left the eggs in a solution of 50/50 water and vinegar, and that kind of created an external coat on the egg whites and then to the water to cook the eggs and I thought it was genius. Kenji method with no vinegar looks way better.

[@desertfox3860]

I just watched that same video this morning and now this one from Kenji and I agree with you!

[@katydidiy]

I don't throw out the extra whites - they go in a jar in the freezer. You can also freeze extra yolks. They are fine when breading something. I often defrost them in some hot tap water.

[@SeventhSwell]

Thanks for the video. Maybe I'll give poached eggs another shot. One thing though, I feel like that camera really moves too much? For a shot from far enough away to see you and the whole kitchen I don't really see a reason for the camera to be moving to following your every movement. I rarely get motion sickness but the way the camera never stopped, even when you're standing mostly still it still bobbed a bit, felt like I was gonna get sea sick. But maybe it's just me. Still, seems like just locking the camera in place with a view like 2:16 would be fine. I dunno. Still, I really enjoy your videos. Don't get me wrong!

[@SeventhSwell]

Yeah, I think it's something the camera does internally. I've seen a similar effect on some streamers, but they're just sitting at their desk so the camera "moves" far less often and a lot less extreme.

[@gnollman]

I love that gingko leaf plate, delightful. I'll have to give that poaching method a shot, mine are never that clean.

[@rayvelez7796]

Kenji those are some beautiful eggs. Making mine like this from now on. Thank you Kenji

[@Starclimber]

Hey Kenji, just wondering if you bring your eggs up to room temperature before poaching. Thanks for all the tips and late night cooking adventures!

[@marinareis3606]

I just tried with an egg straight out of the fridge and it worked perfectly!

[@JackJonner]

I’ve always been annoyed with too many loose white floaty bits making a mess in the water. I’ll try this method. Thanks.

[@seann4678]

This was awesome! Informative and straight to the point

[@sarkae0405]

Did you turn off the heat right after you added the eggs? It looks like you at least adjusted the temperature. Or did that adjustment take it to the 180-190 degrees you mention in the article?

[@frankhughes001]

I poach eggs in the microwave. 1/2 cup water, 1 egg, 1 minute (in my microwave). Badda-bing badda-boom…done. No straining, no bowls, no mess, just (usually) perfectly poached eggs. If on the off chance it doesn't come out absolutely perfect, no big deal - still tastes great!

[@arthursmith643]

Buy the flexible egg rings they hold the egg together also add a whisper of white vinegar to the boiling water. Delicious and Easy.toast the sourdough bread pour some olive oil over the bread instead of butter. Yummy 😁

[@JoshuaChamberlain-rw7kh]

Alot of people say salt is a no go coz it makes the wggs break up or go wispy but these turn out nice

[@JohnConboy1]

I've just watched John Torode on a different video ( who is a professional Chef), poaching eggs and he used vinegar, no salt and didn't swirl the water. I guess there's different ways of doing it. Your eggs look great too 👌

[@stephanieilluzzi7355]

Hi! New subscriber here! I loveee all your tips for poaching! Mine have never come out as beautiful as yours no matter how many methods I’ve tried. I never saw the “strain first” idea, as well as ditching the vinegar (which I think makes the whites rubbery!) Thanks for this fantastic video, and for sacrificing the trial egg…hope your kiddos weren’t too disappointed! 😬😅💖

[@majorasmasque]

Congrats on the weight loss, you look super healthy. Would love to see some vids on what you're cooking/eating to slim down!

[@abdulrashid3339]

Best I have seen so far. Thank you.

[@msalty2823]

Learned something today, thank you. btw you are looking thin, are you dieting? exercising?

[@richardschatz9992]

Great video. What heat did you use for the water? Looked like it was just simmering?

[@waynethebarber1095]

very nice!! this would work so well in a bowl of Raman. I can't wait to try this...🍜 Thank you!!!

[@shanehoban]

Hey Kenji, qq: why add salt to the water? Would it even season the eggs in such a short duration?

[@ChefChrisDay]

It definitely does. As a professional myself it's no different than poaching chicken in water versus salted water or cooing pasta in water versus salted. The effect is just enough to elevate the natural flavor of the product, and eggs being protein based are sensitive enough that you don't need much especially based on what's dissolved in the water versus seasoning them directly afterwards. Great question!

[@shanehoban]

@@ChefChrisDay I see, thank you!

[@Kragith]

I use electromagnetism achieved via an experimental Maglev cooker to poach my eggs. It goes really fast and the shape of the eggs ends up literally perfect with 0 margin for error.

[@GerardPinzone]

Those were the best-looking poached eggs I've ever seen. I've never tried using one of those microwave poachers, but I'm worried about how well the eggs get cooked.

[@dipperdandy]

I have a cheap one (like, 1.99$) and it's pretty fast and easy. It's worth the low investment if you just wanna try it out. Only problem is it's easy to over cook, but you just need to practice to get the timing right.

[@martin_miller]

any idea where to get the egg spoon? Looks like the web shop for ruhlman closed in 2019

[@jvallas]

I did a search on "ruhlman poached egg spoon" and got a lot of hits. Didn't investigate, but on first look they seem very like what Kenji uses.

[@martin_miller]

@@jvallas thanks, yeah…. I did that, but all the links lead back to the place that seems to have closed in 2019

[@carsonkubicki1770]

New look, new kitchen Kenji! I see you!!

[@spinningbackspin]

what happened to him?

[@LennyMar-gf8kx]

I’m a relatively a new viewer of your vlog and enjoy your Teriyaki restaurants of Seattle. You always mention the origins of your experience of cooking food mostly about your mother. Have you considered an episode cooking with Mom as a guest?

[@JacekCiteh]

You're looking super healthy Kenji!

[@octopede]

Like the new POV. Are you using a motion-tracking gimbel?

[@ThoughtFission]

Probably one of the most useful videos I've seen.

[@designingirl]

he also makes perfect hard boiled eggs!!

[@ThoughtFission]

@@designingirl :o)

[@TheGlamorousLifeofNae]

Those are gorgeous & looks easier than I thought! I was always intimidated lol

[@jordananger7591]

Do you lower the boiling temperature after submitting the eggs?

[@jkmorbo]

I always learn something from your videos. Also, your kids are very lucky!

[@justinthyme48]

cool. I'll try this. poached eggs are the healthiest way to cook eggs.

[@tauIrrydah]

I like the shallow water technique too.

[@Zipfei_Kloatscher]

Kenji's tattoo matches the leaf in the green bowl... 🙂

[@lukegrubbs730]

The Ginkgo leaf! The only living survivor in an entire order of plants. Its like sharks in that it's existed in almost the same form for millions and millions of years. Very odd little tree, not sure what significance it has to Kenji that he has a tattoo of it though.

[@WastrelWay]

@@lukegrubbs730 The gingko (Gingko biloba) has a lot of cultural connections with Japan. See wikipedia. Oddly I was just reading about that the other day, because I remembered a street in the town where I grew up where the city had planted gingko trees. In error, the city planted female trees. The Japanese people in the city used to go there and get the fruits, which smell bad to the unaccustomed Western nose.

[@Zipfei_Kloatscher]

Ah, a ginkgo leaf. Good to know, thanks guys... 😀👍🏼

[@hepgeoff]

Thanks for this! So how long did you cook the eggs for?

[@robo_bravado]

I would never be upset with a slightly misshapen poached egg eating out and anyone who makes a stink should be ashamed.

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

I used to have a toaster oven where the time it took to toast made the perfect poached egg and since that toaster malfunctioned I don't know what time to use for eggs just the way I like them. So far I've been either over or under, not perfect... obviously more experimentation required.

[@Corybander]

As always, brilliant

[@jaimeortega8939]

Nice shots. New automatic camera mounted on the ring light?

[@queengerbil]

I like your new camera angles! And then auto centering trick is cool.

[@donnawynn9143]

Strainer...Genius!!! thank you!!

[@geraldarcuri9307]

Nice, simple approach. Thanks!

[@Repsyzz]

It's always how mindblowing how a haircut on men can turn them to look so young, looking great kenji

[@mrphil2159]

I think he's also lost a bunch of weight? Agree he's looking great!

[@HOT_SAUCE_ADDICT]

@@mrphil2159 Definitely lost weight, I've been noticing it too, he looks great.

[@Repsyzz]

@@mrphil2159 yeah that as well, I was wondering if this is from his old video vault, but the kitchen is the recent one 😂

[@CP3oh322]

I love that wooden wall rack for the cast iron in the back there. Was that custom made?

[@DJ-jm5gm]

*How long is the cooking time?*

[@chefbraune]

Great video! Thank you! Where can I find that spoon?

[@littlenikke4704]

Definitely prettier than mine! We do 'Toaster Poached Eggs'. (Nothing to do with toasting the eggs) just medium saucepan with at least 3" water, salted and brought to a rolling boil then down to a simmer. Mostly I just crack two eggs directly into the water, but sometimes do the more gentle bowl, then pot method (usually after I've accidentally broken a yolk and gotten annoyed). Give a quick swirl to make sure nothing is stuck to bottom, then slap on lid and turn off heat. Pop toast in toaster oven. When toast is ready and buttered, eggs are perfect with jammy yolks.

[@DietBajaBlast]

cool story bro

[@schmup53]

I tried using a strainer to separate off the looser egg white but it didn't work and I suspect it is because the eggs were either too cold or too old, probably both.

[@jsnyder4018]

Thank you, Kenji.

[@eezekiel07]

Wow came out perfectly! Thanks!