Keeping eggs together when poaching prevents many from attempting to use this method for cooking. Another problem encountered with poaching eggs: fishing the cooked eggs from the poaching liquid. Solve both of these problems by using a steamer basket to poach your eggs. Rice steamers also poach eggs without requiring you to keep a close eye on a pot of simmering water. Either method adapts well to poaching several eggs simultaneously.
Use a Traditional Steamer Basket
Fill the saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil.
Place the whole eggs in their shells into the steamer basket and submerge the basket with the eggs inside into the boiling water for 10 seconds to begin to congeal the white to prevent spreading during poaching.
Put the steamer basket back into the bottom of the water and lower the heat to a bare simmer. Add more water into the pot if less than three inches over the bottom of the steamer basket.
Crack each egg into one of the cups without breaking the yolk.
Tip the side of the cup so the egg slips out and into the simmering water. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
Cook until the white set in all of the eggs and lift out the steamer basket to remove all eggs at once from the cooking water. Serve immediately.
Use a Rice Steamer to Poach Eggs
Fill the water reservoir of the rice steamer with ½ cup of water and pour two cups of water into the rice insert.
Place the rice insert into the steamer, close the lid and start the appliance according to the manufacturer's instructions to heat the reservoir water and begin to simmer the water in the rice insert. Heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
Briefly remove the rice insert to add ½ cup more water to the reservoir. Replace the insert.
Crack each egg into a separate bowl, and use the bowls to slip each egg into the rice insert. Cook up to four eggs at a time.
Close the lid and poach the eggs in the steamer for 10 to 12 minutes or until the white set. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and serve immediately.