Thursday, March 31, 2011

How to Poach an Egg


Until about 15 minutes ago, I had neither eaten nor prepared a poached egg.

Wow.

I've really been missing out.  They are delicious!

For some reason, poaching an egg was one of those kitchen tasks that I erroneously told myself was too complicated.  What?  Where did I latch onto that misinformation?  It couldn't have been easier.

Poached eggs are sort of like boiled eggs without the shell and without the waiting. 

A perfectly poached egg has opaque and non-runny whites and a soft yolk that might run bright yellow or orange when pierced, depending on how long you cook it.

In a large saucepan, bring 4-5 inches of water to a simmer.
(Disregard the thermometer...) 

 Crack an egg into a small bowl
and gently pour it into the simmering water.

Crazy-looking things will start to happen.

But fear not.

After 3-4 minutes (for a more runny yolk) or 5-6 minutes (for a firmer yolk),
fish out the egg with a slotted spoon.

Gently pat dry with a paper towel.

At this point you can trim off the wonky whites if they bug you.

 Add salt and pepper and enjoy!
This is the egg that was cooked for 5-6 minutes.

And here is the 3-4 minute specimen. 

Both are scrumptious.

Poached Eggs

Fill a large saucepan with 4 inches of water and bring to a simmer (when bubbles are breaking the surface every few seconds. 

When water is barely simmering, break 1 egg into a small bowl. (You can break it directly into the water, but putting it in a small bowl first eliminates the possibility of getting shells in the water.)

Gently tip the bowl, sliding the egg  into water.

Cook until whites are set but yolks are soft, 3 to 4 minutes. (Cook 5-6 minutes for a firmer yolk.) 

Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to paper towels, and drain briefly.


5 comments:

Unknown said...

Wait, what??? seriously? You don't need that dumb little single use pan insert jig to poach an egg?
After seeing this post, Ms. Plain & Simple has one more item to send to the donate pile!!!! :)

Waaaaahooooie!!!

Goesturbo said...

Stopped by from Stacy's blog. AWESOME tutorial. Adding you to my blogger list. :)

Caneel said...

Love the looks of the poached egg that was cooked longer! Hmmm, may have to give poached eggs another try. As long as they aren't runny, I might like them. :)

Cooking Rookie said...

Your blog was my SRC assignment this month, which made me very happy, because I've been meaning to make your cheesecake every since the last month's reveal. But then because of some confusion about the reveal date and dietary restrictions I had to choose a simpler recipe, so I went for this. I usually fry my eggs sunny side up in a pan, but this method saves some calories from oil and tastes just the same.
I am still coming back for that cheesecake very soon :-)
And probably for some of your other recipes too, you have a beautiful blog!

Anonymous said...

Put a litle vinegar in the water. It keeps the egg together.