Methods for poaching eggs

flyinglentris

flyinglentris

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[Mod.Edit. This post has been moved from a general thread about eggs to form a new topic]

I suppose this thread, for the benefit of members and lurkers who may reference it, ought to have some mention of poaching an egg, the definition, procedure and alternates, I mean.
 
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There are quite a few different methods you can use to poach eggs.

The way I do it is to boil water (nothing added), break egg into a small cup or dish (it needs to be a very fresh egg or bits of white will break and fly off into the water). Then I whirl the water with fork or spoon until its spinning and then add the egg into the centre of the 'vortex'. I then slightly lower the heat and wait until the white sets - a few minutes.

Remove with a draining spoon and trim if necessary. Poached eggs can be kept in a bowl of cold water in the fridge for several days and reheated by placing in simmering water for 2 minutes.
 
I use a wide, shallow pan:
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I salt my water and have it just at the boil....think small bubbles, not big ones. If the bubbles are too big then it can break the eggs up.

I break my eggs into ramekins and gently add to the water - no swirling or anything. Depending on how fresh the eggs are sometimes you lose a bit of the white which floats off, but even oldish eggs can be successfully poached. Just note on my eggs: they are stored at room temperature but I'm aware that US eggs need to be refrigerated, so maybe allow them to come to room temperature for a while before cooking them? Also, oldish eggs for me are probably max 2 weeks old - we have 12 eggs delivered every week direct from the farm so I know roughly how old they are.

If you find poaching eggs difficult to do, my tip is to use duck eggs to practice. The whites are much more viscous than hen eggs so they hold together better in the water. Once you've mastered duck eggs its relatively simple to replicate your technique on hen eggs.
 
Interesting how we all differ on something so basic! I use a narrow, deep pan to get a good depth of water, and add a drop of white wine vinegar. Water just off the boil before adding the egg, then turn it up after the white has started to solidify. I turn the egg with a slotted spoon midway through cooking.
 
epicuric said:
I turn the egg with a slotted spoon midway through cooking.
Click to expand...

:ohmy: I've never heard of doing that!

I've tried the vinegar and found it made no difference. I think its supposed to help the white hold together. I do quite like the taste, though so I do that sometimes. Ever tried poaching eggs in beer?
 
Here's how I do it:

Easy Poached Eggs Recipe

The biggest difference is straining the raw egg first, which gets rid of the watery part of the white, and eliminates the need to try and gather the white around the yolk while it's poaching, or trimming it later. You get nice perfect little orbs just about every time.
 
TastyReuben said:
Here's how I do it:

Easy Poached Eggs Recipe

The biggest difference is straining the raw egg first, which gets rid of the watery part of the white, and eliminates the need to try and gather the white around the yolk while it's poaching, or trimming it later. You get nice perfect little orbs just about every time.
Click to expand...

Yes - I noticed the Hairy Bikers doing that. I must try it.

In terms of shape, are we aiming at an orb? Maybe that is why epicuric turns them over... Mine come out more or less plump fried egg shape, which I quite like.
 
Morning Glory said:
:ohmy: I've never heard of doing that!

I've tried the vinegar and found it made no difference. I think its supposed to help the white hold together. I do quite like the taste, though so I do that sometimes. Ever tried poaching eggs in beer?
Click to expand...
Do you know, I have a part bottle of beer left over from making tempura batter. Breakfast tomorrow could be interesting!
 
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