Easy Poached Egg | Kenji's Cooking Show

Get my books (including The Food Lab and my new book, The Wok) here: www.kenjilopezalt.com
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Here's my poached egg article on Serious Eats: www.seriouseats.com/foolproof...
This technique is one that I shared in my first book, The Food Lab. The idea is that by straining eggs in a fine mesh strainer before poaching them, you eliminate the problems caused by those excess loose whites - the whispy cloudlike things that muck up the water and make the poached eggs look kinda like wet tissue instead of a nice clean, tight torpedo shape.
The method is not 100% foolproof (there will always be a random egg here and there that has whites that are already broken when you take it out of the shell), but it's as close as I know.
What's especially nice is that you can crack lots of eggs into the strainer at once. I've done this with three dozen eggs at a time at a demo once!

[@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

[@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!

[@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.

[@TwilightxKnight13]

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

[@thomastessier4529]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@AmiableGrace]

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

[@JohnDiFrancesco]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@robadr13]

Most generally useful/helpful cooking channel ever. 😊

[@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!

[@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

[@TheWayGuysSeeIt]

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

[@imd2b48c]

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

[@txag007]

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

[@brewerfireguy]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@abdulrashid3339]

Best I have seen so far. Thank you.

[@malcontent510]

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

[@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.

[@seann4678]

This was awesome! Informative and straight to the point

[@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!

[@sorscha]

I love this video style!

[@jsnyder4018]

Thank you, Kenji.

[@derrickbeaubearic4100]

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

[@rayvelez7796]

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

[@AliReza-jq3gc]

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

[@geraldarcuri9307]

Nice, simple approach. Thanks!

[@eezekiel07]

Wow came out perfectly! Thanks!

[@marinareis3606]

Just tried it. Perfect ❤

[@donnawynn9143]

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

[@Corybander]

As always, brilliant

[@jkmorbo]

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

[@TheGlamorousLifeofNae]

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

[@judyormshaw3293]

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

[@tauIrrydah]

I like the shallow water technique too.

[@queengerbil]

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

[@instantchildbirth2746]

Looking good Kenji

[@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.

[@cb320]

Looks so easy! I will try 😅😅thanks

[@MrJimYves]

Looking fit Kenji 🎉

[@alexcutler4738]

Mate! you are looking really healthy! The move to Seattle has really agreed with you... I used to sous vide the eggs and then finish them as a poached process. That has been quite successful for me. :)

[@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

[@rioborzeli147]

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

[@ThoughtFission]

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

[@designingirl]

he also makes perfect hard boiled eggs!!

[@ThoughtFission]

@@designingirl :o)

[@gnollman]

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

[@menamurray992]

Perfection 👏. TQ for sharing🙏

[@JacekCiteh]

You're looking super healthy Kenji!

[@helenaaguiar392]

Thank you for sharing ❤

[@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! 😬😅💖

[@michaelboso9355]

Whoa! Took me a sec. Awesome!

[@kairavi]

Just some feedback: the camera panning around is making me a little dizzy! Not sure if others with motion sickness are experiencing this, but I definitely prefer the GoPro POV to the tripod camera with what I'm assuming is an auto-panning feature?

[@janeturnquist2942]

Wow, you look great! Good job on the weight loss! Thanks for teaching about poached eggs!

[@TheIrenepiekarski]

You handsome guy; that egg method really works. Thank you.

[@toni2606]

Cool trick! I'm going to poach my eggs tomorrow instead of frying. I think I can do this!☑

[@carsonkubicki1770]

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

[@spinningbackspin]

what happened to him?

[@scottlorsch]

You are looking very fit! Congrats on the hard work!

[@GoldPineProductions]

I very much appreciate you breaking an egg for us! Love watching to yolk ooze out 🤤

[@monteros]

Totally awesome, thank you :)

[@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!

[@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!

[@idiot-983]

Perfect 😮

[@1yamawai1]

excellent. thank you

[@ExtremeBeatlesArchive]

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

[@suzanneoshannessy7666]

Best Poached eggs ever for cooking them

[@alexbitca]

Where'd the GoPro go? It's not the same if I don't feel like peaking from behind Kenji's shoulder while he cooks :(

[@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…

[@dickb2128]

I have not poached eggs in many years because they never come out as they should. Your technique is a game changer. Thanks for the video. By the way, seems you've been on a diet?

[@dizzyboy92]

That looks great! I don't poach eggs frequently because I thought I need way more water.

[@jvallas]

This strikes me funny, that more water would be a stopping point for attempting a recipe 😄!

[@TransDelek]

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

[@jaxthename]

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

[@Aaron-kq5kk]

Kenji you look amazing.

[@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?

[@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... 😀👍🏼

[@sv3nn568]

Dude is just changing the way I work in the kitchen with every video he drops! Such a masterpiece

[@msalty2823]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@jaimeortega8939]

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

[@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.

[@robo_bravado]

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

[@octopede]

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

[@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 👌

[@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.

[@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 😂

[@philoctetes_wordsworth]

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

[@GrikWorldNomad]

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

[@Rick_Hoppe]

Kenji cooked those eggs for 1 minute and 50 seconds.

[@Charles-pg6wx]

Gotta get me one of them spoons!

[@user-yn3qv4or8d]

This new camera set up is top notch!

[@hadifespro9337]

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

[@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.

[@kristinrburkett]

Michael is the best and so are you! (Those nostalgic Le Creuset collabs) You look amazing - skin glowing and that good bone structure coming through. I looove cooking perfectly cooked eggs and waiting for someone to break into the yolk like that. I made an eggy noodle dish for my Hapa grandmother today after not seeing her for a while... and made sure to stay for that satisfying yolk moment - soooo I kind of get the kids getting miffed over a pre-ruptured yolk ... it's such an event! ^^

[@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!

[@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.

[@kaplanworldwide]

what mixing/prep bowls are those?