Heston Blumenthal's poached eggs

There are many different approaches to poaching eggs – creating a whirlpool in the water, adding vinegar, etc. – but my approach in this recipe is very simple. It relies on using only the freshest egg –the white will be firmer and therefore the egg will hold together better in the water. And straining the eggs before cooking them to get rid of all the straggly bits is an important step.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tsp salt 
• 4 large eggs 
• salt and black pepper

Instructions

Fill a saucepan with approximately 15-20 cm of water then add the salt. Place a plate upside down in the bottom of the pan then place the pan over a medium heat and bring the water up to 80ºC.

One at a time, crack each egg into a ramekin dish and pour it into a slotted spoon with small holes. Allow to drain any residual white for approximately 1–2 minutes.

Lower the slotted spoon into the warm water and slide the spoon out. Allow to poach for 4 minutes.

Remove with the slotted spoon and place on paper towel to drain the excess water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.