How Julia Child Cooked A Perfect Poached Egg Every Time

The late, great Julia Child's influence is ever-present in the American kitchen. In addition to coauthoring the seminal "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," Child wrote many other books and hosted two television shows that have guided home cooks in their culinary pursuits for decades. Child dispensed quite a bit of cooking wisdom in her long and illustrious career. And she didn't shy away from the basics, especially when it came to egg preparation. She could instruct cooks in the finer points of the perfect French omelette or her simple tip for the best hard-boiled eggs. But perhaps her most egg-cellent cooking advice centered on the notoriously tricky poached egg.

On an episode of "Cooking at Home with Jacques and Julia," Child shared her foolproof poaching method, showing us yet again why we need push pins for perfect eggs. First, she pierces the wide base of the uncooked egg's shell with a thumbtack, then boils it for 10 seconds. The hole helps relieve pressure within the egg so it doesn't crack, and the short pre-boil forms an outer skin or film, or as Pépin says, "a little bit of a shell," on the outside of the egg, which keeps it intact. Then, she cracks her barely boiled eggs into egg poaching baskets as usual before plunging them into the ice bath to stop them from cooking. (For what it's worth, Child opts for a four-minute poach, but you can cook it the way you like).

What's notable about Child's method is that she steers away from popular poaching techniques, such as adding vinegar to the water and stirring it to create a whirlpool before adding the eggs. 

One traditional technique she does like is egg poaching baskets. Child prefers the oval-shaped metal style with long handles and a perforated cup. Per Child, they were hard to find over a decade ago, and it has only gotten harder. The closest options available on Amazon are the Cuisipro stainless steel egg poachers and the Cuisipro silicone egg poachers. Using a basket to poach your eggs can prevent the delicate eggs from breaking up in the roil of boiling water while also evenly dispersing heat throughout the egg for a better overall cook. Now, this method may seem a bit fussy, but with a recipe as delicate as poached eggs, it's definitely worth a few extra steps to perfect.