He and Martin Short say they order it just about everywhere they go.
Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD
Key Points
- Steve Martin loves poached eggs, even judging hotels by their poached egg quality.
- Eggs are a nutritious breakfast choice, offering protein, healthy fats and more.
- Perfect poached eggs require precision, but you can learn to make them in just minutes.
There are tons of great reasons to start your day off with eggs. Whether you opt for an omelet, a quick boiled egg or an egg over-easy with a picture-perfect yolk, eggs offer substantial protein and healthy fat, which can help you feel full throughout the morning. Eggs can also help you get your fill of a wide variety of nutrients, including vitamins B12 and D, as well as choline.
What’s more, there are just as many great ways to cook eggs as there are benefits to eating them. And if you’re anything like actor and comedian Steve Martin, a poached egg might just be a favorite.
Martin appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live when his Only Murders in the Building co-star Martin Short was hosting the late-night show, and the duo talked about their mutual appreciation for a poached egg. “Marty and I both love poached eggs,” Martin said. “When we’re on tour, we check into a hotel—we get different rooms—and we always judge the hotel by their poached eggs.”
Martin has even been known to post his favorite poached egg dishes on Instagramand loves making them at home with the help of a kitchen appliance he finds to be essential to his poached egg-making routine.
“I found this egg poacher… it was great, it made great poached eggs,” he said in the Kimmel interview. “I made the poached eggs [using the appliance] and they’re perfect … very important you put the right amount of water in because if you put too much in, they come out hard, and too little, they’re soft.”
Martin shared his go-to egg poacher on Facebook back in 2020, captioning the post, “It’s the little things.” The poacher in question appears to be a two-cup egg poacher—you can purchase a similar one for about $30 online.
But, if you prefer to poach an egg the old fashioned way, our editors say the perfect way to do it starts by putting each egg into a separate, small bowl, so they can be dropped into the pot separately. Next, fill a pot or Dutch oven with about two inches of water and bring it to a boil, adding ¼ cup of distilled vinegar when it’s boiling. Submerging the lip of each bowl in the boiling water, slowly and gently release each egg into the pan.
Cook the poached eggs for four minutes for a soft set, five minutes for a medium set and eight minutes for a hard set, then remove them using a slotted spoon and place them on a clean towel to drain. Pair them with a slice of whole-wheat toast for a delicious breakfast.
Famed chef Julia Child had a unique egg-poaching hack, too. Before cooking her poached eggs in a way similar to our editors, Child liked to boil the eggs in their shell for about 10 seconds, a hack she said helped the thin egg whites hold their shape, preventing wispy poached eggs.
But is Martin really so in love with poached eggs? Short confirmed his pal’s go-to dish in the Kimmel episode. “We do have a shared passion for poached eggs,” said Short. “I have 19 pictures of Steve on tour [with poached eggs].”
If you want to channel your inner Steve Martin, we’ve got some recipes to help you get there—here’s where to start: