For Perfectly Soft Poached Eggs, Use A Different Cooking Method

Tired of your everyday eggs? As part of the quest to elevate your usual scramble, take inspiration from French cooking with sous vide soft-poached eggs. Sous vide eggs are quite similar to poached eggs made on the stovetop, but they tend to have a more consistent texture throughout and a more gooey, slightly runny yolk. With a creamy texture, sous vide eggs work especially well for eggs Benedict, savory breakfast sandwiches, avocado toast, and as ramen toppers.

To make perfect sous vide soft-poached eggs you're going to need a sous vide cooker — like this highly-rated KitchenBoss variety — a slotted spoon, a medium bowl, ice water, and a few eggs. Once you've mastered sous vide eggs down to your personal preference, you'll nail it every time. Another perk of sous vide eggs is that, unlike poached eggs, you can make multiple eggs at once, making it a near effortless crowd-pleaser.

Having a sous vide cooker might feel like overkill, but it's an essential appliance here since the temperature needs to stay consistent throughout the cooking process. The good news is that once you plop your eggs in, the remaining cooking period is largely hands-off, giving you time to make accompanying sides for your eggs.

Now that you've gathered your eggs and tools, start by setting your sous vide cooker to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. After your water is heated, gently place your eggs in the cooker. Set a timer for 14 to 16 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yolk. Once your timer rings, use a spoon to scoop out the eggs and plunk them into an ice bath. Dunking eggs into an ice bath will halt the cooking process and keep the eggs from getting too hard.

As for the shell, you likely won't be able to peel it quite like a hard-boiled egg. Instead, try peeling away one relatively large section, then turning the egg over and allowing the barely-set white and yolk to slide into a bowl or ramekin. Some liquid white may run off, but that should be okay.