Are Poached Eggs Healthy?

are poached eggs healthy

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #00adef;”] W[/dropcap]hen I went Slow Carb at the beginning of the year and started eating eggs for breakfast pretty much every day, I did ask the question ‘are poached eggs healthy?’

Here’s what I discovered…

Are Poached Eggs Healthy?

Absolutely!

Forget what you’ve been told about eggs and health.

I love eating eggs most days.

8 Reasons to Eat Eggs Every Day

1. Egg keep you feeling full much longer than cereal or toast.

When I worked for a big breakfast cereal manufacturer we ate breakfast at work. It used to puzzle me why we would all be hungry and have lunch on the stroke of midday. Now I know.

The protein and fat in eggs helps sustain your energy levels, keeping you satisfied for longer and reducing the need for a mid morning snack.

2. Eggs assist weight loss.

This is a follow on benefit from keeping you satiated. Studies have shown that people who eat eggs for breakfast are more likely to lose weight than those who ate bagels.

3. Eggs are a great source of protein.

Whole eggs are one of the most complete sources of protein, meaning eggs contain all the essential amino acids which we must get from our diets.

4. Eggs tend to be relatively inexpensive.

Compared to other high protein foods such as red meat, even free range eggs are more budget friendly.

5. Eggs aren’t going to make your cholesterol worse.

While it’s true that eggs do contain a significant amount of cholesterol, the old formula of the cholesterol you eat impacting on your blood cholesterol levels, has been disproven. So there’s no need to worry about eating eggs increasing your risk for heart disease.

6. Eggs help with brain development and memory.

Choline, an essential nutrient found in eggs, stimulates brain development and function. It has also been linked with increasing memory retention and recall as well as improving alertness.

7. Eggs protect your eyesight.

Two antioxidants, leutin and zeaxanthin, are present in eggs and have been linked to protecting eyes from damage related to UV exposure. They have also been associated with reducing the likelihood of developing cataracts in old age.

8. Your hair and nails will grow faster and stronger.

This is probably just the protein at work, but I’ve definitely noticed a positive change in how often I find I need to cut my nails.

My hair seems to be growing much faster as well.

More articles similar to Are Poached Eggs Healthy?

Have fun in the kitchen!

With love,
Jules x

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55 Comments

  • I have been having two poached eggs for bfast for a number of years, and I have added vinegar for as long. One thing I have found is to use a slotted spoon and flip just before serving, this keeps the white together and gives a great glazed over effect. I serve on steamed spinach and grated parmasan cheese.

  • Yay – will try tomorrow. Must say egg #2 actually looked half decent compared to some of the explosions I have tried to rescue from my pan. I am determined to be a poaching queen! Local cafe uses white balsamic in their water which works and gives the eggs a really yummy flavour – but only if you are into that kind of flavour – otherwise you’d be horrified!

  • Hi Jules, the other way is to use really, really fresh eggs. Eggs that are only a day or two old poach beautifully, nice and high and rounded with the white all staying together and a yolk that is high and has a glaze of white over it. The white sets while the yolk is still runny. My perfect egg!

  • i love poached eggs!

    fun fact: the reason why they make your hair and nails grow faster is the same reason why rotten eggs smell so bad. they’re an excellent source of sulphur. eat up!

  • My mother-in-law has chooks so we get the most amazing eggs (they are HUGE!)… I don’t often eat them for breakfast but boiled for lunch in my salad. Ooooh, so good!

    Poached eggs with mushrooms, spinach and roasted tomato was my favourite ‘going-out-to-eat-breakfast’ pre-kids. Should just re-create it at home.

    Haven’t commented before but read religiously – love love love your work. :)

  • Ellen,
    Interesting that it’s the sulphur… thanks fro sharing

    Kate
    Thanks for commenting!
    I’m with you on the poached eggs with mushrooms, spinach & tomato for going out breakfasts… so good

    Linda
    I know fresh is better… but unfortunately we don’t all have access to day old eggs all the time

    Jos
    Yes #2 wasn’t so bad… probably because I was using Ethans eggs so they were still relatively fresh.. I’ve had much worse myself before I got into the vinegar.

  • Thanks so much for this Jules. I love poached eggs cafe style and have been far too intimidated to try at home after some massive flops. Just another Stonesoup recipe I can’t wait to try.

  • I eat 2 poached eggs every morning. I poach them in water alone though – never bother with vinegar! Possibly the secret is the fact that the eggs are super fresh as I have my own hens! I eat them with spinach or rocket from the garden. It is my little daily luxury and is helping me to to shed extra kilos and believe me there are many to shed!

    I would encourage everyone to try poaching as I think it is easier that anyone thinks and the worst thing that could happen is they would fall apart!

  • I’m a religous eater of eggs – they are soooooo good. I’ve found when I cook with vinegar though it does give a flavour to the egg and makes the white a little rubbery? Am I doing something wrong?

    After all our testing we find if we bring the water to the boil and then turn it right down when we put the egg in, we achieve perfectly cooked egg in just a little more time. Agree with the other posters – the fresher the eggs are the more they stay together.

    For all those that eat scrambled eggs – I found out that the less you beat them the more fluffy they turn out (beat slowly until the white and the yolk are only just combined, add a dash of milk and salt & pepper, heat the pan with a small knob of butter – once melted pour the egg mix into the middle of the butter and slowly move your spatula across the pan watching the egg mix bunch as it goes)…..there is a scientific reason the eggs are fluffier this way something to do with the whites and the yolks I’m just not sure what it is.

  • I love paoched eggs – they tend to be a weekend thing though. Not sure why I stick to cereal during the week (it takes just as long as paoching an egg too if you factor in chopping up fruit, dolloping our yoghurt etc). Hmm. I might try to change my routine!

    I brign my water to the boil, then add the vinegar, slide the eggs in, wait until the water starts to boil again, then turn off the heat completely and pop the lid on the saucepan until the egg is as ‘done’ as I feel I want it that day.

    Poached eggs are great!

    • To save even more time, poach yourself double the eggs (slip the next one in when the first has taken shape), then lift one out about a minute before it’s done, and put it straight into a bowl of ice water. Store it in the water in the fridge and the next day bring some more water to a simmer and cook the egg for a couple of minutes to finish cooking and reheat. This is what some restaurants do. The egg will keep fine till the next day.

  • yay! I must admit I’m normally a scrambled egg person, but I have tried poached with some success, will give them another go. I love eggs for breakfast, I alternate with a low sugar muesli and natural yoghurt combo, but the eggs certainly have that extra staying power to get me through the longer breaks till lunch!

  • I’ve tried poaching sooo many times and I always use vinegar too. The eggs I get are Clarendon farms which is a local organic free range egg farm just outside Sydney so you would think they would be reasonably fresh. I have the exact same size saucepan as your small one and put the same amount of water in… and my egg always goes everywhere! I always crack into a cup and tip it in very gently too. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, you make it look so easy!!

  • Hi Jules: I am deeply saddened I won’t get to preview the new e-cook book! I love your site and have reecommended it to my sister who tells me she mainlly frequents ‘food’ blogs, while I usually go for self-improvement, minimalist, feel-good type blogs.
    Thanks for everything, I LOVE your site.

  • Thank you Jules! I made the eggs for my lunch today (for the first time) :) They were beautifull!

    a kiss from Portugal

  • Another way – my daughter lines a cup with cling film, breaks the egg into it and then wraps the cling film round the egg and then adds the whole thing to boiling water. I was amazed when she told me and even more so when i saw her do it.

  • I had attempted to poach eggs in plain water with similar results. Thanks for a great demonstration of how to do it and the difference a little vinegar makes.

  • Olivia
    Love that you call them ‘poachies’ – I’m going to adopt that terminology :)

    Bev
    I’ve tried the cling film thing and it makes me nervous cooking plastic in boiling water… for me vinegar is the best but whatever works for you!

    Carrie K
    Sorry… you’re too late on the cookbook preview – was a little overwhelmed with the response… thanks for offering though

  • Lois
    Thanks for recommending Stonesoup… really appreciate it! And so glad you’re enjoying

    Emily
    I feel your pain! Try using LOTS of vinegar – seriously at least 3 tablespoons.. it makes all the difference

  • A bit late to the party with the commenting here… I’ve been eating eggs for breakfast for a while now (as part of an effort to eat better/low-carb) but seem to have lost my way when it comes to poaching them, so this post last week encouraged me to give it another go. I’ve been doing the vinegar thing and trying to get the water just right before sliding the eggs in gently, but they still go everywhere! It’s not a disaster and they still taste nice, but I wish I could make the whites stay together a bit more. Any other tips aside from the vinegar? What am I doing wrong?

  • Katherine
    You need to make sure you’re using LOTS of vinegar – a good 3-4 tablespoons not just a teaspoon like you see in most recipes.

    And if that doesn’t work – you need to look at your egg freshness. The fresher your eggs, the firmer the whites and the better they hold together… old eggs = problems.

  • The way I poach eggs is to use a slotted spoon to create a vortex in the simmering water into which eggs are cracked to cook for 3 or 4 minutes, then lifted out with slotted spoon. (This is the method of Chef Gordon Ramsay).

  • Hi all

    I will be controversial here but I still think as one contributer said the vinegar make the whites more rubbery – but as I said before my eggs are at the most 2 days old which must make all the difference. As I am not good at eating breatfast 1st thing so I pack the eggs with a sprinking of S and P and eat them at work.

    Therefore I recommend to all you keep hens and therefore get the best and freshest poaching potential!!!!

  • Hi Josine
    Thanks for the link..
    I don’t own a microwave so it’s not really up my alley… I’m happy to stick to my saucepan and vinegar :)

  • A little late to the party here, but I learned the vinegar trick from my mom years ago — she used it in boiling eggs too in case the shell cracked. Recently discovered gluten-free English muffins and was overjoyed to be able to make Eggs Florentine once again. Poached eggs are grand!

  • I really love this Egg Poacher Set. So easy, no sticking, just some water and some coconut oil to grease the egg poacher cups… And the eggs always come out so nice and pretty! I tried several solutions, including the vinegar, but to me these are by far the tastiest and easiest. (sorry about the link to a store, but I thought it was the best way to explain the concept).

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clearview-Stainless-Steel-Cup-Poacher/dp/B0001IWYLY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1329845254&sr=8-3

  • Thank you for the cookbooks! Everything looks so lovely and delicious! Can’t wait to try :)

  • I finally tried to poach eggs this way after failing miserably at it the first time years ago – and it worked! I also served it up with some kale that we had, but ordinary olive oil (we didn’t have truffle oil) and I can’t believe how well the ingredients work together. Kale is my new favourite green, bar none.

    Thanks for inspiring the utterly useless “cook” that I am into becoming less useless!

  • Thanks for these ideas – I am keen to try putting more vinegar into the water. I expect that lemon juice would also work??

  • Nothing easy about this– it’s just the regular poached egg method that’s been around forever, and it’s not for beginners– I’ve tried and tried it, and it screws up every time. Back to the drawing board for REALLY easy way to do it. But thanks for the recipe! :)

    • Wow Jon
      You’re the first person who it hasn’t worked for.
      I’m wondering if you used enough vinegar? Most recipes just call for a tablespoon and this isn’t enough to make the method work.
      Thanks for sharing your experience

  • Worked great for me with apple cider vinegar! Used 3 tbsp and had a lovely breakfast with toast and apricot jam. Thanks :)

  • I loved this article ,but I would not be without my four egg poaching pan perfect eggs all the time

    • Thanks for the link Terri!
      I haven’t come across them…
      but really you don’t need anything unless you’re aiming for perfect shape every time
      J

  • I just stumbled upon this blog looking for egg recipes, and while I am super happy about this poached egg discussion going on here, think I am much more happy to have found this website in general, I see lots of other things I want to read!

  • Love the way you explain things I love poached eggs never knew about vinegar will try it tomorrow mine turn out kinda ugly with just water still taste good but it impresses me to have pretty eggs and great taste does vinegar give them a twang at all?

  • I always stir the boiled water and then slip the eggs into the water as it swirls around, this helps keep the whites together and for me always gives a perfect round poached egg!

    • Thanks for sharing Dawn… I find I don’t need to bother with the swirling when I use fresh eggs and lots of vinegar – but it you’re happy then that’s the most important thing :)

  • Great post as ever.

    An Irish friend of mine taught me a very easy each poaching recipe. Take large bowl of boiling water, break egg into the water and microwave for one minute on full. Works every time and perfect for when you don’t have time for using a pan.

    Cheers

  • Hi,
    I was wondering how the egg poach tasted after a few days? Egg poaching is my favorite.
    So I will definitely make it and share my cooking experience with you.

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