Microwave Poached Eggs

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 35 ml drinking water
• 3 ml sesame oil
• 0.8 g salt

Method

Pricking the yolks before microwaving prevents the membrane from rupturing violently under steam pressure — the needle holes release pressure gradually rather than explosively. Crack both eggs into a small microwave-safe bowl, then use a fine skewer or the point of a knife to pierce each yolk twice, going deep enough to breach the membrane but not so far you split the yolk itself. This step is non-negotiable; skip it and you'll have egg on the microwave walls.

Pour 35 ml of room-temperature drinking water around the eggs — not over them. Add 0.8 g of salt directly to the water; the salt raises the boiling point slightly and seasons the cooking medium, which transfers flavour into the whites. Drizzle 3 ml of sesame oil over the surface. The oil won't mix with the water, but it will coat the eggs as they cook and carry the toasted aroma into the finished dish. sesame-oil has a low smoke point, but at microwave temperatures you're not burning it — you're gently infusing it.

Set the microwave to full power and cook for 80 seconds. The timing depends on your wattage and bowl size, but 80 seconds in a standard 800–1000 W microwave produces whites that are set and opaque with yolks that remain runny in the centre — egg proteins denature progressively as temperature rises, and the lower heat of a microwave gives you finer control than stovetop poaching. Watch through the window if possible; you're looking for vigorous bubbling around the edges and the whites turning from translucent to cloudy white.

When the timer sounds, the bowl will be extremely hot. Use a cloth or thick oven glove to lift it from the microwave — steam burns more readily than dry heat. Let it rest for 10 seconds in the bowl so the residual heat finishes setting the outer whites without overcooking the yolk.

Slide both eggs and their cooking liquid into a shallow bowl. The quick-preparation nature of this method makes it ideal for breakfast when you want poached eggs without the fiddling of simmering water and vinegar. Taste the liquid; if it's bland, add a pinch more salt. Discard or sip it — that's yours to decide.