Poached eggs can be divisive, with so many people sharing their own hacks to make the best egg possible. However, according to chef Dzung Lewis, who shares recipes under the moniker HoneySuckle, there is an easy way to make a “satisfying” poached egg without any “crazy” tricks or hacks.
In a video shared on her TikTok page, the chef claims to have discovered “the perfect and easiest way to make a poached egg”. She said: “I’ve discovered the easiest way that you can get a poached egg without straining the egg whites or even creating that crazy whirlpool.”
Instead, Dzung says that all you need is a pan of boiling water and a cup of distilled, white vinegar. “We will start by boiling our water and I add a splash of vinegar, I let it come to a boil,” she explained.
Vinegar is often recommended when poaching eggs as its acidity increases the rate of denaturing and helps the poached egg to hold its shape better.
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“The rolling boil kind of helped the egg whites wrap around the yolk and if you don’t see it doing that a good old spatula to help it along will be just fine,” she said. To help your egg white bind around the yolk, use the spatula to gently guide it into place.
“Let it go back to a small boil for about two and a half minutes for a perfectly runny poached egg,” added Dung. “Once it’s ready, I’ll just scoop the egg out with a slotted spoon and let it air dry.
“And this is my perfect breakfast that I have pretty often.” The chef then cuts the egg in half to reveal a runny and golden yolk which oozes out over her avocado-topped toast.
“It’s so satisfying and easy with a nice cup of coffee,” she added. “I know you can poach this egg.” Dzung’s recipe video has amassed over 1,500 “likes” at the time of writing, however many users have spoken out against the use of vinegar.
One TikTok user commented: “Looks amazing but you do not need to add vinegar.” Joy added: “I just came from a bunch of videos saying you don’t need vinegar.”
Despite this, many users said they felt vinegar was an important step. One commenter wrote: “The acidity of the vinegar lowers the heat ti takes to make the whites coagulate.” Marn further explained: “[It] helps the egg hold together and not separate into the water.”