Egg Preparation Series: Poached Eggs

I know, "long time comin'." Yeah shut up.

For all you 'peeps' (teehee) who can't poach an egg, here you go! Video proof that it can be done without a million bits of equipment or a piece of plastic you have to nuke.



What you need:

• small pot
• slotted spoon
• small bowl
• one sheet of paper towel

Ingredients:

• eggs
• salt (or vinegar)

Step 1: Simmer down now

Get over it 'Legs. So you have your small pot filled halfway with cold water. Good. Turn the heat to low-medium. Poaching is a bit tricky since you always have to play with the heat. Too much action in the water can tear your eggs apart. It's better to err on the side of cooler water than hotter.

When you look at the video you can see that even I had a bit of trouble with the heat. It happens. You want a shimmer, just below a simmer.

Step 2: Operation egg drop

Eggs are like egos. Fragile things that need to be treated gently. If you're gonna stand three feet over the pot brandishing your egg like a bocce ball and then just drop it in, then yeah it's gonna come apart, moron. If you crack it into a small bowl and then slip it in as close to the water as you can, then it will stay in one shape. Yes you can twirl the water around if you want, but really, height matters. Also, the freshness of your egg counts for a lot. The more fresh the egg, the more the whites will cling to the yolks.

Salting the water a bit before adding the eggs will help keep shape. About 1 tsp vinegar will gave you the same results, but if you put too much vinegar in the water it's gonna make your eggs taste funky. I use salt.

Use the slotted spoon to gather the whites around the egg if it needs help. Other than that, just watch it cook.

Step 3: Timing is everything

So how long do you let it poach? I dunno, how hard do you like the yolk? If I get anyone within the tri-state area saying "that's what she said" I swear, I will drive to where you are and slap you - ROB. ::glare::

Anyway, I like my whites done well and my yolks liquid gold. If you're doing one egg at a time, I'd say...ooo...3 minutes or more for a large one. You can raise it out of the water and move it around with the slotted spoon. It'll be very obvious how done it is. If you like your yolks solid in the middle, I'd say 5 minutes or more should take care of it. The more you practice, the better judge you'll be.