This is how to make poached eggs for breakfast simply and easily.
I love poached eggs.
And while they are a pretty simple dish – making them is a little complicated. If you don’t have the right equipment.
I know that there are ways to make them without a special poached egg cup thingy – but that never worked for me.
For years I had this old fashioned poached egg pot – but cleaning it was such a headache that I never really used it.
So, I was delighted to find a modern take on an old favorite at Crate & Barrel.
Despite their obscene looks, they are really useful and functional.
How to Make Poached Eggs in Silicone Egg Cups
Making poached eggs in these is a breeze.
All you need are:
- a pot with lid – that is deep enough to hold the cups with the lid on
- silicone egg cups
- nonstick cooking spray (I use a Misto oil sprayer filled with Canola oil)
- eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
Fill the pot with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a boil.
Spray nonstick cooking spray on the poached egg cups.
Crack one egg in each cup.
Set the egg filled cup into the pot of boiling water and cover with lid.
Cook until desired doneness. (I usually cook them about 10 minutes for a hard cooked yolk.)
Use a table knife or plastic knife (something not too sharp) to remove the egg from the cup. Often times they just slide out without a knife.
That’s it! And clean up is very easy. The cups are dishwasher safe, but I just wash them by hand.
Buying Options
I purchased my set at Crate & Barrel, but I found something similar at Amazon.com too (although I haven’t tried these).
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Moe P says
Are the cups you have shown a bit hard or are they soft and floppy?? The ones I bought are soft and floppy so I've had nothing but trouble trying to cook my eggs in them, falling over and sliding onto the counter, or into the water in the pan..I got mine at Walmart though so I don't know if that's why, but I hate them lol. What a mess. I liked the old time pans my mom had that you have pictured here a lot better.
Neena Nandagopal says
Hi Moe,
The silicone poached egg cups that I have do have some structure to them. I don't find them to be as floppy as you describe.
Maybe you could try using a little less water in the pot that you make the poached eggs in? Just be carful that it doesn't evaporate.
Best of luck!
sw ceniti says
fill the pan with water crack egg into cups, place the lid over the pot. Set an egg timer for three minutes for a soft egg or five minutes for a hard egg. from another site on poaching eggs with silicone cups.
Neena Nandagopal says
Thanks for the info!
Shahda says
Thank you
Neena Nandagopal says
You are welcome!
Peter says
I found this page by carrying out a DuckDuckGo search for "using silicon poached egg holders". We have had a set of silicon egg poachers for a long time but never used them until now.
Thank you for providing such a useful instruction.
Using a size 7 eggs (quite large), I found the yolks were just firm when cooked for 10 minutes, and the eggs were delicious.
Neena Nandagopal says
Hi Peter,
Your comment just made my day! Thank you so much for letting me know that article helped you out. 🙂
Robert Perry says
I bought a set of silicone eggs from walmart & there is not one thing on how to cook them.I assume you could cook in a micro wave. I was wrong
Sharon McGee says
I'd been thinking of buying silicone poached egg cups. Thanks for your review of them. I'd like to add that I worry about food safety as well, but my husband likes his poached egg yolks to be runny and I often make Caesar salad dressing, so I purchase pasteurized eggs for those recipes to be on the safe side.
Claire says
Thank you for such simple straight forward instructions. My husband is the kitchen whizz and with him away I want to learn. It’s a blessing having people like you sharing in the world x
Neena Nandagopal says
Hi Claire,
So glad I could help! Thanks for letting me know - you made my day. 🙂
lori says
The point of a poached egg is a firm white and a hot runny yolk. This recipe calls for cooking for about 10 minutes for a firm set yolk. What about cooking time for a normal poached egg?
Neena Nandagopal says
Hi Lori,
I prefer my poached eggs with a firm yolk - which is "normal" for me. It is all relative, isn't it?
So, I don't have an exact time for a runnier yolk. I would just monitor the eggs as they cook, once the whites are firm, you can stop cooking at the stage that you like best. Keep in mind all the warnings about foodborne illness, etc.
Marcia says
I see it's an older comment, but 6 minutes works for me to get firm whites and runny yolks.
Neena Nandagopal says
Hi Marcia,
Thanks for adding this - since I like solid yolks I didn't have an accurate time for softer ones.
Much appreciated!