Water & Steam

Poach

Cook gently in barely-trembling liquid for silky, tender results

Poaching submerges food in liquid held below a simmer, just trembling, so delicate items cook gently and stay moist. It's the technique for eggs, fish, and fruit you want tender, not toughened. Keep the heat low and the liquid still — visible bubbles mean it's too hot.

Poaching cooks food submerged in liquid held below a simmer — just trembling, around 70–85°C / 160–185°F, with barely any visible bubbles. That very gentle heat is reserved for delicate things you want tender and moist, never toughened: eggs, fish, chicken breast, and fruit. Because the liquid is below the boil, it cooks without agitation, so a poached egg keeps its shape and poached fish stays silky rather than seizing and drying. The poaching liquid often becomes part of the flavor — court bouillon for fish, spiced wine for pears — and the rule of thumb is simple: if you see active bubbling, it's too hot.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Types & varieties

Shallow poaching

Food half-submerged in a little liquid, often covered, then the liquid becomes a sauce.

Deep poaching

Fully submerged in court bouillon or stock — for whole fish and chicken.

Oil or butter poaching

Cooked in warm fat held at a low temperature for luxurious texture (fish, lobster).

Butter-Poaching (Beurre Monté)

Gently cooking delicate proteins submerged in an emulsified butter sauce held just below the simmer, yielding silky, evenly cooked results.

Poaching Eggs

Slipping shelled eggs into barely simmering acidulated water so the whites set into a tender pouch around a still-runny yolk.

Oil-Poaching

Cooking proteins or vegetables fully submerged in warm oil held well below frying temperature for exceptionally moist, tender, infused results.

How to do it

1
Build the poaching liquid
Use water, stock, court bouillon (a quick, aromatic poaching liquid of water, wine, herbs and vegetables), milk, or spiced wine; season and aromatize it well — it flavors the food directly.
2
Bring to a tremble
Heat until the surface just shivers with the occasional small bubble, around 75°C / 165°F — never a simmer.
3
Lower the food in gently
Slide food in carefully; for eggs, crack into a cup first and slip in, swirling the water into a vortex to keep the white together.
4
Hold the temperature
Adjust the flame to keep the liquid still and trembling; visible bubbling toughens proteins and shreds the food.
5
Lift at the cue
Pull eggs at set whites and runny yolks; fish when just opaque and flaking; chicken when firm and 74°C / 165°F inside.
6
Drain and finish
Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain, and serve — or reduce the liquid into a sauce.

Doneness cues

Poaching's gentleness makes it forgiving but easy to misjudge by sight alone.

Eggs: whites set and opaque, yolk still soft — about 3–4 minutes.
Fish: just turns opaque and flakes with gentle pressure; pull a touch early for carryover.
Chicken breast: firm to the touch and 74°C / 165°F at the center; let it rest in the liquid to stay juicy.
Fruit: a knife or skewer slides in with slight resistance — tender but holding shape.

Common uses

Poached eggsSalmon and white fishChicken breast for saladsPoached pears and stone fruitLobster and shrimpQuenelles and dumplingsSmoked-haddock and milk-poached fish

Tips & pitfalls

Add a splash of vinegar to egg-poaching water to help the whites set quickly and tightly.
Use the freshest eggs you can; older whites are runnier and feather in the water.
Let poached chicken cool in its liquid for the juiciest result.
Keep the heat just below a simmer — bubbles are the enemy of a clean poach.