I’ve been wanting to learn how to make the Perfect Poached Egg – Sous Vide style for a while, made using the sous vide technique. This “fancy” technique simply means cooking food at a precise temperature for a period of time so that it achieves the “perfect” consistency or texture.
The most critical piece of equipment for sous vide is a circulator which is basically a giant heater with a built-in thermometer that circulates and heats water in a pot or tub, maintaining the temperature at a setting you select.
The “perfect” temperature rely depends on what your personal preference is. I prefer my yolks runny, so I’ve tried sous vide poached eggs cooked at 72 degrees celsius for 15 minutes (somewhere I read that was the “perfect” temperature and time), and then I tried sous vide poached eggs at 63 degrees celsius for 45 minutes (which I saw somewhere else was the “perfect” temperature and time).
It’s hard to overcook food using sous vide since the temperature never rises about the “perfect” temperature. However, the texture of the food can change with time. As you can see from my pictures, the yolk at 63 degrees is rich and creamy, and the white is not as firm as a regular poached egg, but is rather gelatinous (watch the video below).
What I love about sous vide poached eggs is that you can cook a large batch at the same time which is great for a crowd. You can also make a batch ahead of time and cool it down in an ice bath, then refrigerate it for later. When you’re ready to serve them, just place in warm water to reheat briefly.
The velvety texture of the yolk is definitely discernible – my boys all love it!
Here are two quick videos I shot to show you how easy it is to use the Sansaire Sous Vide Circulator that I bought (I participated in their kickstarter campaign).
Watch this video to see one of my favorite ways to enjoy Sous Vide Poached Eggs ~ Oatmeal with Sous Vide Poached Egg and Chili Sauce.
The Perfect Poached Egg – Sous Vide
Ingredients
- however many eggs you like
Instructions
-
Fill a large pot with water (use hot faucet water to reduce time it takes to heat it up using circulator). Set circulator to 63 degrees celsius. When temperature reaches 63 degrees celsius, gently place whole eggs in water. Let eggs cook 45 minutes. Remove from pot and serve immediately, or place in ice bath to cool. Refrigerate whatever you don't use. To reheat, simply place eggs in warm water (I put them in water that's about 60 degrees celsius for 5 minutes).
Stir Fry Beef and Asparagus in Oyster Sauce Recipe + 4 Tips for the Perfect Stir Fry
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Fabulous post, Jeanette! I love that the eggs, when cooked sous vide, are done “perfectly” at the same time. Perfect for brunch! Appreciate all the information and the vids, too. Will definitely be pinning to group boards at Pinterest. 🙂 Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks Stacy – I’ve been having fun experimenting with sous-vide. I think my inner geek is coming out ;). Sous Vide Poached Eggs are really quite spectacular – I’d read about them for a while and now I understand what the rage is all about. My boys have been loving them!
I have never actually attempted a poached egg at home… but I think I can do it!! Excellent post Jeanette… thanks!
What a great tutorial! Love the video, too 🙂
Thanks Christine!
I just got my sous vide a couple weeks ago. How much I love this tool! I got the Anouva. I love the idea of poached eggs. I do love the yolk runny, but I want the whites completely cooked. I couldn’t quite tell if the whites were completely cooked through. Great post! Thank you.
Susann
i also like my egg whites firmer.. i went thru a whole dozen eggs and couldn’t find a way to get my eggs right.. the whites go from gelatinous to firm very quickly.. and when i got the whites in the consistency i wanted, the yokes were too hard.. i like a slightly runny yolk..
too bad, because an egg as done here, has a wonderful creamy yolk.
I am a poacher and do Sous Vide also mostly for meat. I am anxious to try the whole egg method you describe. Takes a little long but if I start the Anova when I awake it should not be too long.
Presently, I crack an egg in a teacup and slide it into a small sieve and let the very liquid chalaza portion of the egg drip thru. I return the egg to the cup and then slowly dip the cup into the near boiling water (containing a little vinegar) sliding the egg off as it coagulates. The egg holds it form well and is poached to my satisfaction within ~4 minutes.
You can make a batch of sous vide and refrigerate the extras. When you want to enjoy them, just place in a bowl of hot water and let it heat up naturally. Sous vide eggs are also great for a crowd when you need a lot of poached eggs. Thanks for sharing your method – so interesting.
Had no idea that you could reheat a poached egg and didn’t know that you would want to but I suppose if it takes 45 minutes to get a perfectly poached egg then maybe one would want to… And I’m with Stephen Rudolph on how how I like my poached eggs… I never order eggs Benedict or any dish that has a poached egg out because I’m always afraid the whites won’t be cooked enough… I do find that adding either a little lemon juice or vinegar in the water will firm the egg whites… But my poached eggs n-e-v-e-r look like Jeanette’s picture eggs… So longer and lower temperature is the trick… I’ll give it try.
Hello Jeanette, I’ve tried the sv eggs several times as described but many of the eggs the white remains stuck to the shell and I lose a lot of it. Have you had any success in cooking sv pouched eggs without this happening?
Sometimes there is some egg white that sticks to the shell, but not a lot. I break the egg as if it was a raw egg and it usually just comes right out. Then I use a spoon and scoop out the rest of the white and just eat it.
does anyone have any idea of how to treat the water so the white doesn’t stick to the shell? I read a small amount of baking soda but haven’t tried it yet. Any suggestions? Thank you.
Great video… I am looking forward to trying this out with the new Sansaire I just got. Did you use cold eggs from the refrigerator, or did u leave them out awhile before putting them in the water?
Thanks Rick – I used cold eggs from the refrigerator.
Hi Jeanette,
Your sous-vide poached egg looks fabulous. However, there are some question that I would like to ask and see if you could help me with it!
I have attempted to create the egg that looks like the one in your picture, however, whenever i break the egg, the yolk seems to be always at the bottom, its not coated with the jelly-like egg white in your picture, is there any trick to make the yolk to be in the middle of the poached egg when you break it?
Besides, once in a while, my white gets separated from the yolk. Is this due to the freshness of the egg? Or perhaps I have cooked it way too long in the water bath? (As i would like to get a thicker yolk sometimes).
Looking forward to your reply!
Regards,
Eric
Hi Eric, I’m not sure why that is happening to your egg yolk. I use large eggs. I have read (for soft boiled eggs on the stove) that if you stir the water around for a few minutes after the egg is placed in the pot, it can help ensure the egg yolk ends up more in the middle of the egg after it’s cooked. I think you might have cooked the eggs too long if the yolk is separating from the whites. I’ve also tried sous vide eggs at 64 degrees celsius for 35 minutes, as well as 75 degrees celsius for 13 minutes, and they both work for a softer yolk. Maybe try 65 degrees celsius for 1 hour and see how that works. It’s worth experimenting until you find the time/temp that works best for you.
What is the best way to get them out of the shell and on to the plate or English muffin without destroying them?
I just crack the egg like you would a raw egg.