How do I cook the PERFECT poached egg?!
How do I cook the PERFECT poached egg?
I've tried Delia's method of using a frying pan with barely bubbling water and no vinegar, which she swears by, but white end up everywhere! I've tried whisking the water in a saucepan to no avail!
Any chefs out there? I'd like to produce the PERFECT poached egg!!!
Thanks :)
Answers:
I love poached eggs on toast! I hope this helps:
First: Lose the big pot of water. Instead, retrieve a medium-sized skillet (10-inch diameter) that has a lid. If your skillet doesn't have a matching lid, try on some of your other lids -- one of them is bound to do the job. If not, you can cover the skillet with a baking sheet or large dinner plate. All right, go to the sink and fill the skillet with about 3 inches of water -- that's all. Put the skillet on high heat. Cover it to speed up the heating time. Meanwhile, for 4 eggs, crack one each into four small cups or bowls. You can use coffee cups, little Asian tea cups, custard cups or the little poaching cups that from the poaching set you will no longer be using.
Second: Put all cups of eggs on a plate, and have them convenient to the stove. When the water in the skillet boils, remove the cover. Add one tablespoon of plain vinegar to the water, and some salt. Vinegar helps the egg to hold its shape. Without it, the eggs will become skeins of protein tangling up in the water. When the salt goes in, it will actually raise the temperature of the water. Watch the bubbles. I happen to like the vinegar taste on the finished egg. If you don't, put the finished poached eggs in a bowl of water. This stops the cooking and washes away the vinegar. If you like the vinegar, try a splash of herbal, apple cider, or sherry vinegar.
Third: Lower the lip of each egg-cup 1/2-inch below the surface of the water. Let the eggs flow out. Immediately return the lid to the pan and turn off the heat. Set a timer for exactly three minutes for medium-firm yolks. Adjust the time up or down for runnier or firmer yolks. While the eggs cook, you have the time to make four pieces of toast, set the table, wash the empty cups, and put the buttered toast on plates. When the timer goes off, remove the cover. Ah! Lift each perfectly poached egg from the water with a slotted spoon, but hold it over the skillet briefly to let any water clinging to the egg drain off. Gently lay an egg on each piece of toast. And there you have it. Perfect poached eggs actually cooked in residual heat and not in the literal sense of the term, poached at all.
Source(s):
http://www.sallys-place.com/food/columns...
I had the same problem, read this and it might help, ive put the link where i read it from below. I have done as she suggested and it does work.
First: Lose the big pot of water. Instead, retrieve a medium-sized skillet (10-inch diameter) that has a lid. If your skillet doesn't have a matching lid, try on some of your other lids -- one of them is bound to do the job. If not, you can cover the skillet with a baking sheet or large dinner plate. All right, go to the sink and fill the skillet with about 3 inches of water -- that's all. Put the skillet on high heat. Cover it to speed up the heating time. Meanwhile, for 4 eggs, crack one each into four small cups or bowls. You can use coffee cups, little Asian tea cups, custard cups or the little poaching cups that from the poaching set you will no longer be using.
Second: Put all cups of eggs on a plate, and have them convenient to the stove. When the water in the skillet boils, remove the cover. Add one tablespoon of plain vinegar to the water, and some salt. Vinegar helps the egg to hold its shape. Without it, the eggs will become skeins of protein tangling up in the water. When the salt goes in, it will actually raise the temperature of the water. Watch the bubbles. I happen to like the vinegar taste on the finished egg. If you don't, put the finished poached eggs in a bowl of water. This stops the cooking and washes away the vinegar. If you like the vinegar, try a splash of herbal, apple cider, or sherry vinegar.
Third: Lower the lip of each egg-cup 1/2-inch below the surface of the water. Let the eggs flow out. Immediately return the lid to the pan and turn off the heat. Set a timer for exactly three minutes for medium-firm yolks. Adjust the time up or down for runnier or firmer yolks. While the eggs cook, you have the time to make four pieces of toast, set the table, wash the empty cups, and put the buttered toast on plates. When the timer goes off, remove the cover. Ah! Lift each perfectly poached egg from the water with a slotted spoon, but hold it over the skillet briefly to let any water clinging to the egg drain off. Gently lay an egg on each piece of toast. And there you have it. Perfect poached eggs actually cooked in residual heat and not in the literal sense of the term, poached at all.
Poaching Eggs in Advance
The question always arises that if poached eggs are such great brunch food, how can they be served to a gathering at home? It's very easy, but requires about ten minutes of planning. Decide how many eggs you'll need. Each person should get two. For a party of six, 12 eggs may be poached, as above, in two skillets, with 6 in each -- all cooking at the same time. As they become done, put them in a big bowl of cold water. Refrigerate them, uncovered, up to three days. When the party is ready to eat, heat a Dutch oven full of water until it boils. Drop the eggs in -- again using the slotted spoon -- and simmer them about 30 seconds, just to warm through.
I used to poach them with an egg poacher - 3 hemispherical cups sitting over a water bath. Shut the lid, boil the water for 5 mins and you get the perfect poached egg. Don't know if they sell them these days.
Practise makes perfect, I had a problem with Yorkshire puddings and simply bought loads of eggs, milk and flour then locked myself in the kitchen all day making them until I got it right no I can make them with my eyes shut or almost. Good Luck.
If you want to do it like the chefs do it's incredibly simple and a little messy, Put a reasonably large pan of water on the boil.
While that's heating up crack an egg into a mug or bowl on the side.
Once the water is boiling hot and bubbling, stir the water so that it's spinning really quickly.
Drop the egg into the centre and the egg white will spin round the yoke as it cooks making a wonderful, elegant poached egg.
This is how the chefs do it to make it from just a breakfast dish to worthy of a restaurant!
heres the trick. get pan and boil the water. then when its boiling put down the heat. then grab a big spoon, and stir violently in the pan, so you get a vortex in your pan.
crack open the egg, thump it in, and power of the vortext will keep the eggin its place, et voila une egg perfaitement (or something like that)
i myself do use vinegar, because this helps keep the egg together. if you do, be sure to wrins the egg off or itll taste sour.
Heat about 1/2" water in a skillet or shallow pan until the water simmers.
Break your egg into a cup (I don't add salt or vinegar).
Stir the water so you have a gentle whirlpool effect, and slide the egg into the water - if the water is boiling, the egg will disintegrate.
Turn the heat down to very low and use a large spoon to kinda baste the top of the egg with water. Should only take a minute or two to cook.
Works for me - so get cracking!
Get the water boiling well. Stir it well to cause a strong vortex and drop the egg into the vortex. Leave well alone until its cooked.
Vinegar if you want a vinegary taste.
Deliah is not a trained chef. She is a cookery presenter.
I promise this works: Tip, put the egg, whilst still in the shell in a cup or bowl of boiling water for about 30 secs BEFORE you add to the water, the white starts to coagulate slightly, enough to stay a pretty shape and the white stays in a small shape. Works every time, I do it whilst I get the water to a slow simmering boil, stir the water, not too much, drop egg in and voila 100% fool proof.
Allot of interesting advice out there One thing missed though. try bring the water to a simmer 185 degrees, not a boil. Boiling water is moving around, and will shake up the whites before they have a chance to set.
The best eggs for poaching are the freshest eggs you can find. If eggs are more than a week old, the whites thin out. Whites of fresh eggs will gather compactly around the yolk, making a rounder, neater shape. Use cold eggs right out of the water tap.
Use room temperature eggs for the best results.
Use a pan that is at least 3 inches deep so there is enough water to cover the eggs and they do not stick to the bottom of the pan. To prevent sticking, grease the pan with a little oil before filling with water.
Photo from The American Egg Board
HINTS:
*
Bring the poaching liquid to a boil and then reduce to a simmer before adding the eggs (bubbles should not break the surface). The water should not be any more vigorous than small bubbles forming on the bottom of the pan with the occasional tiny bubble bursting at the top. A stronger boil than that produces too much movement in the pot and throws the egg whites around. The barely simmering water encourages the egg to sit there quietly, without flapping around and losing shape. *
When you poach eggs, try adding a little vinegar and salt to the water. Vinegar helps the egg to hold its shape by causing the outer layer of the egg white to congeal faster. Without it, the eggs will become skeins of protein tangling up in the water.
(1) Break each egg onto a saucer or into small cups or bowls.
(2) Slip eggs carefully into slowly simmering water by lowering the lip of each egg cup 1/2-inch below the surface of the water. Let the eggs flow out. Don't put too many in the pot at one time. Immediately cover with a lid and turn off the heat.
HINTS:
*
Try creating a gentle whirlpool in the simmering water and slip your egg into the middle of that. This tends to keep the white from dissipating.
*
Don't disturb the egg once you have put it in the water!
(3) Set a timer for exactly 3 minutes for medium-firm yolks. Adjust the time up or down for runnier or firmer yolks. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, depending on firmness desired.
(4) Remove from water with slotted spoon. Lift each perfectly poached egg from the water with a slotted spoon, but hold it over the skillet briefly to let any water clinging to the egg drain off. Drain well before serving.
Poaching Eggs For A Crowd
To poach eggs for a crowd, cook eggs ahead of time, slightly undercooking them. Slide them into a large bowl of cold water. When ready to be served, immerse in barely simmering water for 1 to 2 minutes.
If you are making eggs only a short while ahead, slide all of them, as they are cooked, into a large bowl of hot (not boiling) water. Don't worry about them sticking together. Top with more hot water from time to time to keep them warm. The eggs will be soft, warm, and ready to eat when you are ready to serve them.
Bring to boil a pan of water place the egg in whole for 10seconds take out of water and stir it when a hurricane shape forms in the water crack the egg into the middle and then cook to requirements.
bon apetit!!
I read this yesterday on the bottom of an Innocent Breakfast Smoothie carton. Haven't tried it yet, but I mean to. I paraphrase:
Lay a large piece of cling film over the top of a cup, press it down into a shallow well, break an egg into the well. Wrap the cling film gently around the egg, place it into simmering water, cook for 3 mins.
I think unwrapping hot cling film from an egg may be a little fiddly, but let's see.
If it's already a PERFECT poached egg, WHY do you want to cook it????????
a pan of boiling water about a cup of water, a metal measuring cup.
bring the water to a boil, spray the metal measuring cup with an non-stick spray add ur egg put cup in boiling water, cover the pot and let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes,. No mess and perfect egg. My gram's old recipe..
If you eat poached eggs on a regular basis, get yourself an egg poacher with non-stick cups.
In the meantime, use a skillet or frying pan. Pour a little melted butter into small cups or ramekins and place these in the pan. Pour water into the pan until it comes about three-quarters the way up the cups. Bring to a boil. Break an egg into each cup, cover the pan. cook for 3 - 5 minutes depending upon whether you like the egg soft or firm
All I do is heat some salted water(enough to cover the eggs well) to boiling and reduce heat to a simmer. Add eggs to water and wait about 2-3 minutes till whites look done and lift out with a strainer spatula. Eggs will kind of lift in the water when they are almost done.