Perfectly Poached Eggs with Dijon Sauce

Name: Perfectly Poached Eggs with Dijon Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 4 eggs; ¼ cup plain yogurt; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; pinch salt, pepper; green onion, diced

Published: Jul 17, 2018 · Modified: Mar 17, 2023 · 31 Comments

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These Perfectly Poached Eggs with Dijon Sauce are easy and delicious. Plus- you’ll learn how to poach eggs without vinegar, swirling the egg, or using kitchen gadgets!

I watch a lot of cooking competition shows with the husband, and whenever he hears someone tell a judge that their dish is prepared “perfectly,” he cringes.

“Don’t do it!” he cries, “don’t say it!”

Inevitably, the judge takes a bite and says, “Well yes, it’s good, but you promised “perfection,” and I’m just not sure it’s there.”

Therefore, it is with quite some risk, but nevertheless great confidence, that I present to you: Perfectly Poached Eggs with Dijon Sauce.

What is Poaching? What is a Poached Egg?

Poaching is a cooking technique where you cook something in liquid. Poached eggs are eggs that have been cooked in water.

Is it Easy to Poach an Egg? What Could Go Wrong?

Yes. Yes, poaching an egg is easy.

Or at least, it can be. There are two main things that can go wrong.

Problem One:

Dropping the egg into the water can cause the yolk to break.

Here’s the solution:

Gently drop the egg into the water from as short a distance as possible. You might even slightly tilt the pan to bring the water closer to the egg.

Problem Two:

Poached eggs sometimes have unappealing, stringy bits along the edges.

Egg poaching gadgets can poach eggs without the strings, but it’s another gadget to keep track of, and to replace when it breaks.

Adding vinegar to the water and gently swirling is supposed to help hold the egg together, but it’s not a perfect solution. Why?

For one, you can taste the vinegar.

And two, it doesn’t always work– vinegar and swirling do not always make a perfectly poached egg.

What’s the solution? Keep reading.

How to Perfectly Poach an Egg without Vinegar or Gadgets

All you need is a mesh sieve.

Warning: I’m about to talk science.

The egg white is surrounded by a layer of loose albumen.

The albumen is the part that doesn’t “look pretty” when poached. In other words, it’s the weird white bits that don’t want to stick to the egg when it’s dropped in the water.

For the most gorgeous, most delicious– dare I say– perfectly poached eggs– crack your egg into a mesh sieve and the albumen will slip through the sieve.

Discard it– you don’t want it.

Once you’ve strained the egg, roll it gently into a pot of simmering water, and watch it poach!

Want more EGG recipes? Try these: Masala Omelette, Breakfast Crème Brûlée, Eggs Royale: Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict, Scotch Quail Eggs

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5 from 10 votes