Poaching Eggs For A Crowd? Ditch The Pot And Reach For A Muffin Pan

Poaching is one of the tastiest, most indulgent ways to prepare eggs for your morning meal. It's really no wonder they're a key ingredient in classic eggs Benedict — few people wouldn't enjoy a buttery, toasted English muffin coated in hot, golden, savory yolk and hollandaise. Yet, many home cooks balk at the idea of cooking this dish, often because of common pitfalls involved in making poached eggs. Fortunately, there's a cooking technique that takes most of the guesswork out of this tricky dish, and it involves a simple kitchen tool you likely already have — a muffin tin.

Using a muffin tin not only helps make poaching eggs easier for beginners, it offers a simple and practical way to prepare them a dozen at a time, which is useful when you're making brunch for a crowd. Rather than mulling over whether to add vinegar to your water or trying to add your eggs at just the right moment, you can simply crack them into the wells of your tin. The best method is one egg per well with a little water, then pop them in the oven to set.

Once your eggs are set to your liking, gently scoop them from the tin with a rubber spatula. You can also press a cutting board flat to the tin and turn the whole thing over if you're afraid of breaking the yolks prematurely. This method does produce cupcake-shaped eggs, but they'll taste just as delicious as the traditionally prepared variety.

Though making poached eggs in a muffin tin significantly reduces the potential margin of error, there's still a handful of things you can do to help ensure things go smoothly. First, don't overestimate how much water you actually need. While the traditional recipe requires a huge, swirling pot of hot water, you only need a small spoonful per egg for them to set properly. Since the egg is cooking in a much smaller space, a little bit of water goes a much longer way.

Something else to consider is whether you need to grease your muffin tin. Silicone muffin tins are naturally slightly nonstick, but your eggs are almost certain to fuse to a metal tin without additional help. A few spritzes of nonstick spray or a swipe of olive oil should be enough to help your eggs slide out of the tin easily. Just be sure to oil the wells before adding your water to prevent the eggs from sticking on the bottom.

Once you've prepared for these issues, possibly the only drawback to poaching eggs this way is the presentation. They may taste great, but it might feel odd to serve your guests little egg hockey pucks. If you're making eggs Benedict, this issue solves itself — hollandaise will mask the shape. For other poached egg dishes, you can dress them up with a little tomato basil vinaigrette, a fresh herb garnish, or top them with delectably savory cheese crumbles.