This Everyday Kitchen Tool Makes Poached Eggs Look 10x Prettier

When it comes to making the perfect poached egg, there's a lot of room for error. If the eggs aren't fresh, the temperature of the water is too hot, the yolk overcooks, or the egg whites start to separate and spread, you're doomed. Making poached eggs can be scary. That's why you should try using a fine mesh strainer. This essential kitchen tool serves like an egg bathtub. More importantly, this hack can help eliminate some of the uncertainty that enters the equation when you are making a classic Eggs Benedict, or when you want to add a poached egg to a BLT or burger.  

How does it work? Surprisingly, it is rather simple. The biggest advantage is that this trick gives you control. Start by placing a strainer over a pot of boiling water. Crack an egg over it, place a lid over the strainer and pot, and allow it to steam for a few minutes. The egg stays in one place as it cooks, eliminating all those wisps of egg white circling the pot. The key to this hack is the egg remaining in place rather than floating around in boiling water. Of course, as with all hacks, there are trade-offs.

While using a mesh strainer is going to give you a neatly poached egg, it isn't a traditional method. This technique uses both steam and water to achieve its outcome. This means that cooking times are going to vary, and the texture can be a little lumpy. However, even with a lumpier outcome, the egg is going to cook more evenly. Perhaps what makes this even more of a persuasive way to make this dish is the fact that all you have to do is turn the poached egg upside down from the mesh strainer right onto the plate or toast.

When it comes to cleanup, you want to do it asap or you will have to scrub your mesh strainer. This will avoid adding extra time to the process. While we aren't suggesting that you ditch the traditional way to poach an egg perfectly every time, this shortcut could be just what you need when you are short on time but crave both ease and taste, or as close as you can come to it. So break out the strainer and get to cooking.