How to make restaurant-standard poached eggs every time

Poaching is one of the trickiest ways to cook your morning eggs because they can easily split or end up a watery, stringy mess.

But now Good Housekeeping Institute Cookery School's head chef Cher Loh has revealed his fail-safe method for cooking poached eggs perfectly every time.

His trick is to add a splash of vinegar, and to use a sieve to remove excess whites so that your breakfast looks restaurant-standard, reports the Daily Mail.

Cher reveals that there are six crucial stages to tick off to end up with perfectly runny poached eggs.

His first tip is to use the freshest eggs possible. The whites are less prone to separating if the egg is fresh, which is key to the perfect poach.

His most unusual trick is using a sieve when cracking the eggs into the pan.

He says cracking the eggs into a very fine small sieve over the pan and then immediately lowering the utensil into the water will remove any excess, stringy whites, which will make your poached eggs look better.

Cher also says it's important not to boil the water too much before putting in the eggs, as bubbles can make the eggs separate. He recommends using a deep saucepan and just boiled water.

There's a lot of debate about adding vinegar when making poached eggs, but Cher recommends adding a splash as he says it helps to coagulate the eggs.

However adding too much can prevent the eggs from cooking evenly.

Cher also warns amateur chefs that there is not a hard-and-fast cooking time for poached eggs as every saucepan is different.

Instead, he says watch out for when the egg whites have turned opaque but are still wobbly.

When they're done, Cher recommends you place your eggs onto a paper towel which will absorb any excess moisture.

However his top tip is ensuring your eggs are fresh.

There's an easy kitchen hack to check to see how fresh your eggs are. According to the GHI, the more air inside the egg, the older it is.

If you're not sure whether it's gone off, place it in a glass of cold water. If it sinks to a completely horizontal position it's fresh, if it just tilts it might be a week old, but if it floats it's stale and it's time to chuck.