1. Fill a mug 1/3 to 1/2 full with tap water (closer to 1/2 if you want the yolk to stay soft)
2. Gently crack an egg into the mug, being careful not to break the yolk.
3. Place the mug in the microwave, and set it to run a minute on high power. Stay by the microwave.
4. Listen carefully. Very soon, you will hear a soft “popping” sound: This means the egg is done! Stop the microwave right away, or you will have a horribly overcooked egg!
5. Carefully (the mug may be hot!) remove the mug from the microwave. Use a soup or serving spoon to gently scoop your poached egg out.
If your mug is too narrow, it will be hard to scoop out, but in that case, just decant off most/all of the water as I showed you.
Also, I didn’t notice any “popping” sound, but maybe a wider, more traditional coffee mug would lead to some popping…
Happy poaching! Bye bye Teflon and grease! It is fun to use water as a cooking solvent. Green chemistry.
A step-by-step slideshow for those visual learners.