For many if not most recipes, truth be told, you don’t need the very freshest eggs. Eggs last a surprisingly long time, and will still make fluffy sponges, beautiful scrambles and a gorgeous garnish for weeks when in the fridge. It’s one reason they’re so useful to have around! However, there are exceptions to every rule and poached eggs are one of them. The fresher the egg, the easier it is to poach. Or, to be exact, the easier it is to produce a pretty, stringy-white free poached egg.

While eggs look like they have just two parts – the white and the yolk – they actually have many more. One essential but invisible part of a hen’s egg is the thin membrane around the egg white. Although people often check an egg’s yolk to tell its quality (looking for big, bright, yolks), the much overlooked egg whites are the most reliable way to tell how fresh an egg is. In fact, measuring an egg white’s height is an official part of egg classification in the USA.

So, how does this relate to poaching eggs? Well, the older your egg is, the more that invisible membrane breaks down, and the more annoying, swirling clouds of egg white you get when you try to poach an egg. The vast majority of tricks and hacks used when poaching eggs – vortexes, straining, cooking in spoons, vinegar – can be skipped if you use super fresh eggs. Of course, that’s not always possible, leading to…

As with all things eggs, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt has done plenty of tests. Kenji is a big proponent of Harold McGee’s trick of straining eggs before poaching them. This will get rid of any watery egg white, while retaining the more viscous egg white around the yolk. This trick is great for avoiding the ugly, wispy egg white that can plague even seasoned poached egg professionals. This egg white is perfectly good, and can be saved for cocktails, mixing into porridge or whatever else you like.

However, there are a few downsides to this trick. Namely, it means dirtying a strainer and slightly complicating an otherwise very simple recipe. You are also, of course, losing some of the egg white. If you’re straining very old eggs, you might find yourself losing half the egg in the strainer. As a result, this trick is best used on eggs that are just a bit past their best. If you use it to try and revive very old eggs, you’re going to end up with a poached yolk rather than a poached egg.

There is a theory that adding a little vinegar to the water helps set the white. However the recent thinking is that this isn’t necessary, and the key tips for making sure your eggs hold together are using super fresh eggs that are cold straight from the fridge. 

It is possible to cook poached eggs in advance, storing them in a bowl of fresh cold water for up to 2 hours. To do this, poach your eggs for just 2 minutes, until the white is set but the yolk is still very soft. Then, when you want to reheat the eggs, bring a pan of water to a very gentle simmer and lower the eggs in on a large spoon, then cook for 30 seconds until warmed through.  

Eggs can be poached easily and quickly in the microwave, however you need to be careful as cooking them too quickly at too high a heat can cause the eggs to explode (as the steam in them is released at high pressure)! So it’s best to take this method, fill a microwave-proof cup about a third full with water, crack in your egg then cover with a little plate. Cook on high for 1 minute, then check for doneness. Cook for 10 seconds more if it needs more time, repeating until cooked to your liking. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper before serving.

This is usually down to the age of your eggs. The white in older eggs can start to break down and become watery, leaving wispy whites as you cook. A fresh egg will be tighter when cooked. 

Poached eggs are famously the star in Eggs Benedict. Try Marcus Wareing’s delicious spin on the dish with crab and poached egg topped muffins
Or check out our collection of brilliant poached egg recipes for more inspiration.