Your Microwave Is The Secret To A Perfectly Poached Egg In Seconds

There are mistakes everyone makes with poached eggs on the stovetop: not swirling water, boiling the water too hard, and on and on. Professionals promote and proselytize their preferred methods, and home chefs bemoan the elusiveness of the perfectly poached egg. But when you take the pot and stove out of the equation entirely, poached eggs can be downright easy. With the help of your microwave, you'll get perfect poached eggs every time, in under a minute.

Crack an egg into a small, microwave-safe bowl or ramekin. You want something with a bottom about the width of your desired end product — not so wide that the egg white will spread too much. Pour water over the egg so that it's just covering the yolk, and microwave on high for about 30-45 seconds. The cooking time may take a little trial and error, but you should be able to get it down pretty quickly.

The microwave method helps the egg keep its shape — you won't have pieces of the white separating into boiling water, as may happen on the stove. The white will come out fully cooked and solid enough to handle with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, while the yolk remains deliciously runny, ready to be punctured and overflow with unctuous flavor. Enjoy it as-is — with some salt and fresh ground pepper — as an umami booster on avocado toast, or another flavorful ingredient to upgrade your home ramen.

You should make poached eggs as soon as you buy the carton. Fresher eggs have firmer whites, so the poached eggs will turn out more compact and less likely to fall apart. Whisk in a pinch of salt and a splash of vinegar to your egg water (before pouring it over the egg, of course). The vinegar acidity will react with the egg white making it coagulate more quickly and helping it keep its shape. The salt will both season the egg and slow the temperature rise of the water, allowing the egg to cook more evenly. As such, you may need to add 15 seconds or so of extra microwave time when adding salt.

Try poaching your eggs in the air fryer. This method isn't quite as quick as the microwave, but you can cook multiple eggs at once. Use the same ramekins or small bowls as the microwave version and coat the insides with an air fryer-friendly cooking spray. Add a half cup of water to each, and place in the air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes to heat the water. Crack an egg into each and cook at 360 degrees for six to seven minutes. To make sure they don't stick, you may need to run a rubber spatula around the edge of the egg whites a minute or two before they're completely cooked.

For extra added flavor, you can poach your eggs in maple syrup, chicken stock, miso broth, or add soy sauce or ponzu to the water. When you step away from the stove and put your other kitchen appliances to work, you can take the grief out of poached eggs. Enjoy a quick, perfect poached egg for one in under a minute or enough for a whole brunch party in just a few more.