Cooking with Poach Pods {or how to make a perfectly rounded poached egg}

Also alternatively titled, “How to make poached eggs that look a little bit like boobs”.

This post has been updated! Click HERE for wayyyy more info.

Poached eggs have a special place in my heart. I have loved them, with the kind of wistful adoration usually reserved for distant lovers, since my first taste, as part of eggs Benedict at Patisserie Valerie. But I’ve struggled to cook them, always being left with a weirdly gelatinous mermaid’s tale of egg white and never quite getting that perfect yolk.

So on one of my regular escapes from London, I couldn’t help but nip into a Lakeland to get some Poach Pods. And although they’ve been around for years, they were a bit of a revelation – no more trailing egg whites, and I get that elusive beautiful yolk every time. It wasn’t all smooth sailing though – the Pods’ packaging was devoid of usage tips, so on the first time I didn’t put a lid on the saucepan, so after 12 minutes cooking all I got was a half raw, half rubbery egg. Parts of the egg were stuck onto the pod too, as I didn’t realise they needed greasing before use.

But once you take these steps, the Pods are easy to use and deliver excellent results.

Poach

Tips for use

* Lightly grease the pods before use.

* Only half fill the pan you’re poaching in – any more and the water may go over the side of the Pod.

* Cook for 4-5 minutes with the lid on.

* Run a knife around the edge of the egg when cooked to ease it out.

You can buy Poach Pods from Waitrose, Lakeland, and Sainsbury’s.

Image: Poached egg in a toasted English muffin, 5 Weight Watchers ProPoints!

7 thoughts on “Cooking with Poach Pods {or how to make a perfectly rounded poached egg}

  1. Hannah Jade says:

    I’m in a permanent state of wanting eggs Benedict, it’s a problem. All of the good things on one delicious plate.

  2. Ellen Boylin says:

    I bought mine from Dunelm and, like you, didn’t realise you really need to keep the lid on the saucepan but now they do make gorgeous + perfect poached eggs!

  3. Judith P. Gundersen says:

    The PODS are available at most cooking ware shops. You do need to grease/butter them and keep the lid on. I start at a running boil and lower to a midpoint on my electric cooktop and 4 minutes will give you a cooked but still runny egg, so you need to experiment for your preference. Ladle the pods out of the pan to avoid the heat of the water. Sometimes a little condensation collects on the egg so it needs to be tipped out before putting the egg on your toast or plate. It is simply the easiest way to perfectly poached eggs, and you avoid that slight vinegar taste if you previously simmered the egg in water+vinegar.

  4. Cath says:

    I left the lid off first time too, left them in my drawer for about a year and this Christmas I thought, oooooh, went on to YouTube, watched a tutorial and we have had perfect poached eggs for the last week everyday! WOOP WOOP!!!!

  5. Brian Duckworth says:

    After my first try with these great little gadgets resulted in water getting into the egg while trying to place it into the pan or saucepan as it tilted slightly I found the perfect way to get the pods into and out of was to use a spaghetti scoop as they fit into these perfectly.

Comments are closed.