Sous vide lets us poach a dozen eggs almost-but-not-quite all the way and refrigerate them until you’re ready. This is total magic for big groups, so you can have a dozen eggs perfectly poached and on the table in two minutes, and just my kind of lazy for everyday mornings.
Having pre-poached eggs in the fridge, ready to top warm baked avocado falafel, with a big drizzle of hot sauce (obviously)? Totally changing my breakfast game. I’m not usually excited for breakfast – brunch is a totally different party that I am all about – but these are so, so good to wake up to.
Sous vide – literally ‘under vacuum’ – is the nerdy scientist way of cooking that speaks to my soul. It’s just as easy as a slow cooker with zero guesswork. Kirk bought me a sous vide for Christmas and I am IN. LOVE. (Both with him and the tool.) It’s become an obsession, sous-vide-ing everything in the fridge just because I can. I’ll be sharing lots of sous vide recipes in 2017; I know it’s not an everyday tool for most kitchens, but maybe I can convince a few of you… and eventually we’ll all become converts.
I’m including this super-appetizing glamour shot to show you what the pre-poached eggs will look like when you crack them open to finish cooking. Tapping the big end of the egg on the counter creates a nice indent to start peeling. Once you open it, the insides will be watery… even more than this photo shows. This is okay! Keep peeling to get to the mostly-poached egg that you want.
If you’re thinking about giving sous vide a try, Serious Eats has a great getting-started guide . I’m completely obsessed with my Anova precision cooker and really recommend it – I had it out of the box and running in less than five minutes, and that includes filling up my big dutch oven with water.
Ask me your questions about sous vide! And please share your favorite recipes, because I’m diving alllll the way in.
Sous Vide Poached Eggs in Advance
Instructions
Pre-Poaching
- Set your sous vide cooker for 145°F (62.8ºC).
- When sous vide reaches temp, use a slotted spoon to lower eggs into the water.
- Cook at 145°F for 40 minutes.
- Remove eggs carefully and dry the shells. Store in the fridge until ready to finish.
Finishing
- Heat a pot of water to barely simmering; use the smallest pot that fits the number of eggs you want to cook in a single layer.
- Crack the large bottom of the egg on the counter and carefully begin peeling over the sink or a bowl. Some watery whites will slide out, which is fine. Peel to about halfway down the shell and then carefully dump the poached egg into a separate bowl. Repeat with remaining eggs.
- Slip the eggs into the simmering water one at a time to set the outside layer.
- Cook for about 30 seconds, just until outside of the poached egg is firmly set, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon. Serve and savor.
I’m so excited to hear more about your sous vide experiences! I’ve been thinking about taking the plunge for awhile…
Same here and I’m so happy we did! It made the best steak I’ve ever had the first time I used it. Everything – chicken, shrimp, sausage, artichokes – has been amazing so far. Hopefully future recipes will convince you to jump in!