Soaking up a runny poached egg with a piece of toast is a small but satisfactory brunch pleasure I can rarely get to experience at home — mostly because of time constraints and a level of impatience that cannot be triumphed when I'm hungry. In a move that has completely changed my brunch and breakfast game, TikTok user @healthywithalex shared a hack for cooking a poached egg in the microwave, and it only takes 90 seconds.
To start, all you have to do is add about 1/2 cup of cold water and a 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar to a large glass or mug, and stir before cracking in your egg. Depending on the wattage of your microwave — which you can usually find on the sticker inside — it might take some trial and error before you find that that sweet spot when it comes to how long to cook your egg. For my 950-watt microwave, it takes anywhere between 60 and 70 seconds. (Yes, I accidentally boiled many eggs to come to this conclusion.) A pro tip: adding two eggs to the mug will roughly double the cook time.
When the egg is ready, all you have to do is let it sit for a minute and scoop it out with a slotted spoon, making sure to drain off any excess water before serving it up however you like. I prefer mine on a slice of avocado toast with Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Seasoning and a few drops of Sriracha, but a poached egg sandwich also sounds like it would hit the spot.
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In a pinch, this trick absolutely comes in handy nine times out of 10, and my avocado toast-loving heart (and stomach) is forever grateful. Check out the full TikTok breakdown on how to poach an egg in the microwave below.