Eggs are a great source of protein. From children to older people, everyone should have at least one egg a day. And this nutritious food item can be consumed in various ways too! There’re plenty of delicious recipes that you can try to cook eggs. But if you ask what’s the most common, easy, and favorable way to cook eggs, we’d say “Poached eggs’! Usually, we eat eggs in our breakfast, and a quick yet tasty way to have eggs are poaching them. We can also add other spicy ingredients to make it more interesting. But the fact is, during the breakfast time, almost all of us were in a hurry, either for our office, school, or other things. And poaching the egg in a fry-pan seems complicated for lots of people, and they wonder if they can poach an egg on a microwave oven. And even it can be done in an oven, how long to poach eggs in a microwave oven? Well, let’s find that out!
The Time Factor – How much time do you need to poach eggs in microwave oven?
The time factor is crucial when you’re going to poach an egg on a microwave oven. Because of the way a microwave cooks is different than cooking on a stove. In a stove, the heat comes from only one side; that’s why we have to flip or rotate the ingredients constantly so that each ingredient can have the same heat. But in a microwave oven, the heat comes from all the sides, that why it’s quicker to cook anything there.
That’s why the time factor needs to be considered because the rule of poaching an egg is to put the liquid substance on a cup filled with water and turn on the microwave. The heat will equally heat both of the liquid substances, but as water takes more time to get heated, so by the time it gets warm, the egg will turn into a solid substance, and the egg might explode as well!
Finally, if you ask how much time is appropriate to cook an egg on a microwave oven, it actually differs from one device to another. Some people put the egg for 20 seconds, some for 45 seconds, and many even put them for a whole minute! It actually depends, and to get the perfect poached egg on a microwave oven, you must practice a few times.
Steps for poaching an egg on a microwave oven
We’ve talked about the appropriate time limit for poaching an egg on a microwave oven. Now, let’s talk about the steps of how to do the whole process. You may change or add any extra method or ingredients according to your preference. But here, the steps will give you the basic idea of making a poached egg on a microwave oven.
Ingredients
Poaching an egg doesn’t require any fancy or too many ingredients; many of us already know that. But after poaching, you can add spices or decorate it with other ingredients, which is entirely optional. So the basic ingredients you’ll need to have are:
- One or more eggs
- Water
- Vinegar
- Salt (optional)
And the equipment that is needed:
- Teacup or small measuring cup
- A small plate
- Fork or toothpick
- Tablespoon
- Paper towel
As we’ve gathered all the ingredients and equipment, now let’s get started!
Step-1: Fill the teacup or measuring cup with water. Whatever you use, it has to be microwave safe. The quantity would be ¾ of the height. Add a bit of vinegar to the water. You may wonder, why vinegar! The vinegar keeps the egg white together and makes a fluffy and smooth substance.
Step-2: Carefully crack the egg and put it into the cup. It should be in a way so that the egg remains completely covered in water. Use a fork or toothpick to prick the yolk so that no explosion occurs.
Step-3: Put a small plate over the cup and turn on the microwave for one minute. You can try starting with less time for practice. An oven cooks the yolk faster than the egg white. So it’s up to you that you want a fluffy poached egg or more solid. Also, if you keep it for less than one minute and see the egg white is still watery, then try for another 10 seconds.
Step-4: You can mix salt along with the vinegar or after you take off the poached egg from the oven. After 40-60 seconds, the poached will be ready, and now you can add black paper or other things of the taste.
Some Tips!
For a perfect, fluffy, and delicious poached egg on a microwave oven, you can note a few tips. It’ll help you to get the desired result faster.
- It’s better to use fresh eggs for poaching, as it helps to provide a perfect shape. To check the freshness, you can put the egg on a bowl of water. If it sinks, then the egg is fresh. But if it’s not, then the egg is old.
- Don’t use the egg for poaching that you’ve just taken out from the refrigerator. Wait a few minutes so that it reaches room temperature. Or else it may get scrambled.
- Instead of vinegar, you can add lime juice.
- The water must be enough to cover the egg at least by 1-inches. It helps to get a better result.
- Try to use a medium-sized cup or mug.
Bottom Line
Poached eggs are awesome. You can eat it either alone or with bread, ramen, avocado toast, etc. It’s rich in health benefits as well. Those who have a busy lifestyle can have a healthy breakfast with a poached egg. And it can be easily and quickly done with a microwave oven. All you have to be cautious about is the Time Factor! The best part of poaching an egg on an oven is, you won’t have to use any oil, which is kind of necessary if you’re cooking on a stove. So no more worries about consuming extra calories!