We Tested the Muffin-Tin Trick for Perfect Poached Eggs—Here’s What You Need to Know

Our family of four has a weekend tradition of preparing eggs Benedict at home, which turns out to be quite worthwhile. The process of refining my technique through repeated attempts at poaching. (And the sink filled with dishes afterward). Seriously, slice right through one of these open-faced beauties and then let me know if that runny yolk smothered in hollandaise sauce atop some Canadian bacon doesn’t make the mess totally worthwhile. Besides, I’m definitely not going to miss out on this thoroughly "grown-up" dish that even my children absolutely love.

Play the one-minute clip on Facebook demonstrating a professional chef using a muffin tin to simultaneously poach a dozen eggs. Brilliant! It appeared quite straightforward. Let’s check the outcome.

As long as you're at it, take the time to learn about microwave poached eggs too.

Try #1: Total flop

Following the professional’s lead, I added some water to the muffin tins, placed an egg in each, and baked them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for the suggested duration of 8-10 minutes. However, after 8 minutes, they still appeared underdone; similarly, checking again at 10 minutes yielded no improvement. So, I returned them to the oven for another 2-minute stint.

The last time I tried, both the whites and yolks ended up totally overcooked—quite disappointing. Adding to the frustration, the egg whites adhered entirely to the tin, which made cleaning extremely difficult. Initially, I decided to use my muffin tins exclusively for baking muffins or cupcakes and revert to traditional poaching methods instead. But after some consideration, I resolved not to back away from the challenge of mastering how to poach eggs for a large group. Find out How Chef Gordon Ramsay prepares the ideal poached egg .)

Try #2: Success!

I attempted to draw lessons from past errors and became somewhat more cautious this round. For every mug, I carefully added just one tablespoon of water—though it seemed minimal, it turned out to be sufficient! Afterward, I sprayed the pan with nonstick coating to ease up on post-cooking clean-up duties. Alternatively, you can use shortening instead of spraying the pan prior to pouring in your water.

Once again, I kept them in the oven for 12 minutes, resulting in a somewhat firmer poaching. However, this provided me with a solid reference point for next time—I believe 10-11 minutes will be ideal. As for the cooking spray, it was effective! Although it seemed a bit oily initially, it greatly simplified the cleaning process afterward.

What if they resemble sea scallops somewhat? Perhaps these do. eggs benedict While not as photogenic as the classic organic, oval-shaped poached egg, these alternatives more than made up for it with their incredible taste.

Try #3: Perfection!

I enjoyed it so greatly that we opted for Eggs Benedict for dinner tonight, using up the remaining Hollandaise sauce from the weekend. It’s definitely a one-skillet meal, folks! (explore these additional one-skillet dinners for more convenient weekday recipes) .

What I learned

  • The nonstick spray helped!
  • Don't let the watery surface on top deceive you; the eggs might appear underdone, but they're actually cooked through. Make sure to remove them from the heat just before the 12-minute mark for perfect results.
  • This technique might not suit experienced poachers, but for the rest of us, it could work well. It makes having homemade Eggs Benedict a bit more achievable. Mastering the traditional technique for making a flawless poached egg remains a commendable achievement, but this approach reduces the amount of active involvement required.
  • If the eggs aren't cooked to your liking, keep trying and adjust the timing for your oven. Trust me, it will be worth it.

I haven’t made these for company yet, but I’m totally going to impress the pants off my family when they’re here for their annual holiday visit. I can’t wait to share one of our favorite weekend traditions with them. If you prefer your eggs boiled, learn how to make Instant Pot hard-boiled eggs or how to boil eggs The classic method using a pot.

If you're a fan of Eggs Benedict, check out these twists on the traditional recipe.
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The post We Tested the Muffin Tin Technique for Poaching Eggs—Here’s What You Need to Understand appeared first on Taste of Home .

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