Five ways to poach eggs for a crowd

One of the most delicious ways to eat eggs is to poach them. The perfect oozing yolk, with a cooked white, they are delicious in so many dishes. However, cooking them for a lot of people is a challenge. Here we evaluate five ways to poach eggs for a crowd. From how to poach eggs without vinegar, or the silicone egg cups (e.g. the cheap and effective poached egg maker). Read through to find the most effective method to make poached eggs for a crowd. 

To start we are going to look at five ways to poach eggs for a crowd. We have Jamie Oliver’s poached eggs in cling film, Kenzie L-A’s steamer basket poached eggs, the traditional swirling pot methods, the no vinegar poached eggs method using a frying pan and finally the easiest method to poach eggs using silicone egg cups.

What do you need to poach eggs

In all these methods there are few things you are going to need. A slotted spoon to remove the eggs, and clean water. You will also likely want a small dish (or dishes) to crack the eggs into. 

Most importantly, you will want some eggs. If I want to splurge I will go with some more expensive eggs with a very rich yolk 

How important is it to have fresh eggs for poached eggs?

How important is it to have fresh eggs for poached eggs? In a word: VERY. As eggs age, the membrane inside starts to break down. The fresher the eggs the tighter that membrane structure is. If you every poach or fry an egg and they spread a lot (e.g. the whites look HUGE!) then these are eggs that are not the freshest. If you are poaching eggs, fresh eggs will protect the yolk letting you have that creamy liquid yolk much easier. 

How can I tell if my eggs are fresh

The simplest method to test how fresh your eggs are is to place them in a bowl of water. If they lay flat on the bottom, then they are very fresh. If they stand on end, then you might want to eat them soon. If they float to the top, don’t eat them. They are pretty old.

How to poach eggs in advance

Look like a pro when you poach your eggs by making use of cold water. First, have a cold bowl of water (ideally ice water) to quickly cool down your poached eggs. This will stop them from continuing to cook and keep the yolks runny. All the methods below assume you will use this method when you make the eggs!

Secondly, get a sealable container to put more cold water into. Place the cooled poached eggs in this and you can store them in your fridge. When you are ready to reheat, put the eggs into very hot tap water for about 2min and then serve. 

Five ways to poach eggs for a crowd

Jamie Oliver’s cling film method

I normally love most of Jamie Oliver’s recipes and tips/tricks, and when I saw his method for poaching several eggs using cling film I was intrigued. Essentially you put eggs into cling film, try a knot into it, and then poach them in the film. Easy right? 

Pluses

• If you use two eggs at a time, it works well and you get a double yolker. 
• Your water remains clean, so can reuse and reuse it. 

Negatives

• It does not work well with only one egg at a time. 
• Your final product will be a poached egg, but you will not have the teardrop shape

See the video with this method here

The Kenji López-Alt method

This method requires fresh eggs, a small sieve and a vegetable steamer basket. Essentially you submerge the steamer basket and gently lower eggs into the basket of hot water. 

Pluses

• This does work well for several eggs at a time!
• Depending on the size of your steamer basket you could make 3-4 eggs at a time

Negatives

• You need a steamer basket
• Mess up your timing and you might be buying a lot of new eggs!

Read all about Kenji’s method here.

One by one method with a pot of water

This is the classic way to poach eggs, and how I usually poach eggs for our family breakfast, but here we are talking about 3-4 eggs so doesn’t take forever. You only need a pot of simmering water, a spoon and some vinegar. The key is having an ice water bath ready to dunk the cooked eggs into.

Pluses

• Will make that classic tea drop egg shape.
• You can produce a few, and they will keep in a cold water bath.

Negatives

• You will likely need to replace the water after a few goes as it will get dirty.
• You will mess up a few eggs, so you will need some spares.
• It does take practice!

See a video about how to poach eggs in the classic method here!

Frying Pan method

This method is from Get Cracking! Essentially it is similar to the traditional methods but uses a frying pan instead of a pot of water. Rather than stirring the water, you can drop the eggs in and let them boil. Use a spatula or slotted spoon to take it out and you’re done!

See the VIDEO and Description here!

Pluses

• It does work! And you can poach a few eggs at a time
• Less water to replace as you go!

Negatives

• The shape of the eggs might not be perfect
• If you are not careful, you might have fried eggs, so you still need to watch your water levels

Silicone Egg Cups

Ok, so I do love these silicone egg poachers as they are so easy to use. All you need it a bit of oil or butter, a pot of simmering water and a lid. Crack the eggs in, put them in the water, put the lid on wait a few minutes and then job done! Consistently well-poached eggs. Stick them in your cold water until you need them!

Pluses

• So, so easy. You might need to work on your timing, but once you get the consistency you want, you can repeat and repeat very easily!

Negatives

• There is only one negative of using the silicone egg poachers. When they come out, they don’t look like a traditional poached egg. To be perfectly honest with you, they look like boob eggs. But, they are tasty!

What’s the best way to poach eggs for a crowd?

Well, its a tie! The Kenji López-Alt method works very well for a more classic looking poached egg. For overall ease though, the silicone egg poacher pods are hard to beat.