Eggs Poached in Milk

How to poach eggs in milk, soft and soothing nourishment for people who are under the weather with upset tummies or little appetite. Next time someone is sick, try warm eggs bathed with buttery warm milk for sustenance ...

Whole Food, Simply Prepared, "Plain" But Perfect. Comfort Food When Someone's Sick. Mere Minutes to the Table. Budget Friendly. Perfect When Cooking for One or Two. Vegetarian.

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COMPLIMENTS!

• "That was perfect. Tomorrow too, please?" ~ my sweet husband, the third morning

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Who'd have guessed that three years in — no, almost four, my sister corrects me — that so many people are getting sick?

Since Thanksgiving, it seems, every day word arrives that someone else is down with a bad cold, a sinus infection, strep, the flu, RSV and of course, Covid. We cancelled our big extended family Christmas gathering (last held in 2019) once three separate family units had tested positive for Covid. No way, after all this time, were we going to host a super-spreader event!

So these past weeks, my nursing skills have been put to the test, nothing hard, really, just exercising out-of-practice caretaker muscles.

One thing I got right? Comfort food, especially this simple breakfast (or afternoon sustenance or midnight snack or ...), a way of poaching eggs in milk instead of water, something my mom used to make way back when after ginger ale and soft jello no longer sufficed for upset stomachs.

What, Exactly, Is "Poaching" Again?

LOL, we'll focus on poached eggs here, not trespassing to hunt on someone else's property.

"Poach" is culinary shorthand for the cooking technique that cooks a food in a simmering liquid.

If you've ordered Eggs Benedict at a restaurant? Those eggs were likely poached, the whites firm but not tough, the yolks hot and runny. So good, right?

Poached eggs are probably the most common food cooked this way but the method is also used for chicken breasts, fish, asparagus, pears and more. For example, I poach chicken breasts to make Lemon Chive Chicken Salad because poaching yields such moist, tender meat.

Water is the most common liquid for poaching but other liquids work too, maybe chicken stock or fish stock or vegetable stock, maybe a fruit juice or wine for fruit.

What's the difference between poaching and boiling? Temperature. And just a few degrees, controlled by the stove temperature.

• When a food is boiled, the liquid has reached the boiling point, big bubbles pop through the liquid's surface.
• When a food is poached, the liquid remains just below the boiling point, forming small bubbles on the edges, maybe a few soft bubbles reaching the surface.

Poaching is a gentler cooking method than boiling. To avoid boiling, just turn down the temperature a bit, adjust it up and down to keep the food poaching not boiling.

About This Recipe: Eggs Poached in Milk

• Eggs are usually poached immersed in a pot of simmering salted water. Instead, here a few eggs are poached in a shallow skillet of simmering salted, buttery milk. Once poached, the eggs are served over soft bread that soaks up the delicious, slightly sweet, slightly thickened milky broth.
• Kitchen Tools = a large non-stick skillet + a spatula + a spoon
• Short Ingredient List = Whole Milk + Eggs + Salt + Butter plus some sort of soft bread for serving
• For Garnish, Optional = chopped herbs + extra butter
• Eggs cooked in this recipe are "poached". Poaching is a distinct cooking technique, food cooked in a liquid that's kept at a bare simmer, never allowed to boil.
• It takes about 15 minutes to poach eggs in milk, most of it is hands-on but there is time available to prep the serving bowls, make some toast, etc.
• Eggs poached in water emerge as amorphous blobs, the yolks hidden inside. Instead here, eggs poached in milk look almost as if they've been fried sunny-side up, the pretty golden yolks surrounded by firm, opaque egg whites.
• It takes a large skillet to poach even a few eggs in milk. For example, I use a 12-inch skillet, this Cuisinart non-stick skillet (affiliate link) that is my number one skillet. (A lid is not used for poaching eggs but I love that this skillet comes with a glass lid!) It's big enough for cooking as many as four eggs at time.
• This means that this recipe is best suited for serving one or two people.
• Eggs Poached in Milk should be served hot straight out of the pan while the eggs and cooking liquid are still hot, otherwise, well, it's all just cold, unappealing eggs in tepid milk.
• This is a budget-friendly recipe made with ingredients often kept on hand.
• This recipe works especially well for those Cooking for One or Two.
• So good! I hope you love it!


• Out of milk? Consider the traditional way to poach eggs in water using Cook's Illustrated's step-by-step technique, see How to Poach a Perfect Egg.
• Not quite what you're looking for? Check out my other egg recipes.

What Makes This Recipe Special

• ... easy on a tummy that's upset or sore.
• ... provides nourishment for someone who doesn't feel well or doesn't really feel up to eating.
• ... supplies plenty of calories with little food volume and little effort to eat.
• ... the eggs are soft and comforting, easily eaten with a spoon.
• Ready to get started? Here's your recipe!

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EGGS POACHED IN MILK

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time-to-table: 15 minutes
Makes up to four poached eggs in a large skillet

• Whole milk, preferably
• Salt, be generous
• Butter for extra richness, optional
• Eggs

TO SERVE
• A shallow bowl, warmed with hot water
• Toast or a biscuit half or a soft roll, torn up if helpful
• Poached Eggs
• Butter, optional
• Hot Milk
• Fresh herbs, optional
• Finishing salt such as fleur de sel, Maldon, etc.

HEAT THE MILK Place a large non-stick skillet on the stove, set the heat to medium high. While the skillet is still warming up, pour in enough milk about 1/4-inch thick; just eyeball it, the idea is to not cover the eggs but to have enough to ladle over the their tops as they poach. (In my 12-inch skillet, 2 cups works out well for 3 eggs.) Sprinkle salt over top, stir in with a spatula. As the skillet warms, use the spatula to gently scrape the bottom of the skillet, this avoids scalding the milk and distributes the heat throughout the milk. If at any time the scrapings are tan in color, the skillet is too hot, turn down the heat.

Heating the milk will take several minutes, scrape the bottom often but you'll have time to warm a bowl or two, make some toast, get out the butter, chop up a few herbs, etc. The milk is "ready" when milk bubbles begin to form on the edges of the skillet but before the milk begins to boil. Turn the heat down to medium.

If helpful for someone who may need some extra calories, add a tablespoon or two of butter to the milk.

POACH THE EGGS Carefully slip the eggs into the hot milk, each in their own distinct position, leaving room between. Use the tip of the spatula held upright to gently center the still-gloppy egg whites around their yolks. Once the whites have begun to set up a little, use a spoon to ladle milk over the top of each yolk. This will take several minutes, just ladle, ladle, ladle, pulling the milk from the edges where the milk it hotter, also from between the eggs where scalding may occur.

Before the eggs are done but once the whites are turning opaque and the yolks are beginning to cook, use the spatula to gently slip underneath each egg to lift it off the skillet's surface, this prevents the eggs from sticking to the skillet once the eggs are done.

Continue to ladle hot milk over the eggs until the eggs reach their desired doneness: someone with an iffy stomach may appreciate extra-firm whites and even firm yolks. The milk will thicken slightly as some of the milk's water evaporates. Fun Fact: Whole milk is 87% water!

TO SERVE In a warm bowl, arrange the bread across the bottom. With the spatula, carefully lift an egg or eggs onto the bread. Top each egg with a dab of butter. Spoon hot milk around the eggs, soaking the bread. Sprinkle with a few bits of fresh herbs and a sprinkle of finishing salt. Serve immediately while hot.

ALANNA's TIPS A smaller skillet works for one or two eggs, just make sure it's big enough to leave a good inch or so between the eggs, also that there's room to insert a spoon into the milk to ladle over the eggs as they poach. No whole milk? Use a lower-fat milk but supplement with some half & half or heavy cream, aiming for something that's rich but still milky not creamy. Salt is important here not only for seasoning the eggs but also for the taste of the milk. Taste a tiny sip as you go along, adding salt until the milk itself tastes good, not salty, but almost sweeter. Manage the stove's temperature, turning it down any time there's sign of scalding or boiling.

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2024/01/eggs-poached-in-milk.html .

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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