Poached eggs

[tris]

One of my favourite ways of having eggs is poached.
The bad news is that I am completely useless at poaching eggs
So what is the best/simplest/guaranteed way to successfuly poach an egg

[bassa99]

Practice.

[slopokes]

Buy a poacher at any pot n pan store😀

[oldbike54]

 Well , first ya gotta wait for a moonless night , then put on a dark ski mask and dark clo...oh wait , you didn't mean that kind of poached , sorry , never mind 

 Dusty

[yogidozer]

Bring home flowers for your wife/girlfriend/mom? 

[LowRyter]

vinegar in the water?

[kballowe]

Well , first ya gotta wait for a moonless night , then put on a dark ski mask and dark clo...oh wait , you didn't mean that kind of poached , sorry , never mind 

 Dusty

Bwaaaaahhhhhaaaaaaa a !

[yogidozer]

Well , first ya gotta wait for a moonless night , then put on a dark ski mask and dark clo...oh wait , you didn't mean that kind of poached , sorry , never mind 

 Dusty

That was a yolk 

[Beowulf]

I love poached eggs.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Crack the eggs in a separate bowl.
Gently lay the eggs in water 2-3 minutes.
Fish them out with a spatula.

[JJ]

Try one of these..."The Egg Coddler" sometime....the BEST if done right! 

[beetle]

Silicone egg poaching doo-hickeys. Perfect poached eggs every time.

[Guzzistajohn]

I love poached eggs.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Crack the eggs in a separate bowl.
Gently lay the eggs in water 2-3 minutes.
Fish them out with a spatula.

That's how I do it, with a little vinegar in the water. use a timer for consistency until you get the hang of it. It ain't rocket sugery.

[jrt]

That's how I do it, with a little vinegar in the water. use a timer for consistency until you get the hang of it. It ain't rocket sugery.

Same here- I crack an egg then really, really gently open it over a tablespoon just under the water- keeps the egg from diffusing too much.

[Lannis]

I use scone baking rings, and a drop or two of vinegar in the water to keep them nice and round.

If you're doing them one at a time, you can use a saucepan with a couple inches of boiling water in it, use a spoon to get the water "spinning" around in a little whirlpool, and break the egg into the middle of the whirlpool.   It'll stay round and lovely ...

Lannis

[Guzzistajohn]

I use scone baking rings, and a drop or two of vinegar in the water to keep them nice and round.

If you're doing them one at a time, you can use a saucepan with a couple inches of boiling water in it, use a spoon to get the water "spinning" around in a little whirlpool, and break the egg into the middle of the whirlpool.   It'll stay round and lovely ...

Lannis

OOo gotta try the swirley thing 

[JayDee24ca]

What Lannis said. A small dollop of vinegar, but the key item is to get the water spinning before you crack the egg into the center. The spinning vortex keeps the egg together as it enters the water. No need to keep it spinning, though, after that initial spin.
JD

[nobleswood]

Silicone egg poaching doo-hickeys. Perfect poached eggs every time.

This is the simplist cleanist way ! 👍

[Guzzistajohn]

What Lannis said. A small dollop of vinegar, but the key item is to get the water spinning before you crack the egg into the center. The spinning vortex keeps the egg together as it enters the water. No need to keep it spinning, though, after that initial spin.
JD

MMmm vortex with a dollop of Siracha please!

[Perazzimx14]

Crack an egg in a bowl and set aside while salted water comes to a rapid boil. Once water is at a rapid boil stir water into a vortex then gently lay the egg in the center. Turn off the heat, cover pot and set the timer for 3 minutes. Remove egg with a slotted spoon. Top with a pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper.


I dash of vinegar in the water helps set the egg but not needed if you don't want to .


Also look into a Sous Vide immersion heater for soft boiling eggs and 20,000 other uses. Its a different way of cooking but man does it produce exceptional exacting, repeatable results.

[Muzz]

I use the swirly thing in salted boiling water then drop the egg in the middle. Kill the temp, then keep it just on the simmer point; I use a timer for 5 minutes exact. 

That's how I like them.

[adaven]

I use a 1 qt sauce pan with a couple inches of water. A capful of vinegar. Add the eggs gently so they don't break. I don't vortex because I don't mind the lace. I leave the heat at med high so it returns to a simmer faster. 2 min 15 sec - 3 min depending on how hard you want the whites. Pull out with a slotted spoon gently and set in a small bowl or plate so they drain better for just a few seconds. Then I like setting them on an english muffin.

[pehayes]

I get the chemical reaction with the vinegar.
I get the physical reaction with the vortex.

But, what if you want to make two or three?  You can't re-vortex with a  half-cooked egg in there.

Regina loves poached eggs.  I'm going for the silicone things.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[giusto]

That was a yolk 

You're crackin me up here

[Guzzistajohn]

The microwave poachers work pretty well, it's quick and easy.

[Sasquatch Jim]

 I poach them in their shells.  Get the water boiling, GENTLY with tongs, put two eggs in the boiling water.  click the timer on 5 min, 6 min if they are jumbo eggs.
 Have a container of cold water at least 2 1/2 inches deep ready.
When the timer dings, pick the eggs out and put them in the cold water.
 The whites will be cooked and the yolks liquid.
 At altitudes above sea level experiment with a little more time.
Learn to peal them with destroying the egg, or open one end and eat with a spoon.
 Alternative to the last is open one end and invert the egg over your open mouth.
 And suck the egg out.
My favorite is to Carefully peel them and put them in a bowl then pour bombay lentils over them.

[Perazzimx14]

I poach them in their shells.  Get the water boiling, GENTLY with tongs, put two eggs in the boiling water.  click the timer on 5 min, 6 min if they are jumbo eggs.
 Have a container of cold water at least 2 1/2 inches deep ready.
When the timer dings, pick the eggs out and put them in the cold water.
 The whites will be cooked and the yolks liquid.
 At altitudes above sea level experiment with a little more time.
Learn to peal them with destroying the egg, or open one end and eat with a spoon.
 Alternative to the last is open one end and invert the egg over your open mouth.
 And suck the egg out.
My favorite is to Carefully peel them and put them in a bowl then pour bombay lentils over them.

I'd agree that you successfully soft boiled and egg but it was not poached if it was in the shell. For absolutely perfect soft, medium or hard boiled eggs a sous vide immersion circulator is perfect. Cook to exacting temperatures w/o over or under cooking with repeatable results time after time.

Eggs:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi10peZ-qTfAhUMk1kKHU4dBHYQFjACegQIBxAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.seriouseats.com%2F2013%2F10%2Fsous-vide-101-all-about-eggs.html&usg=AOvVaw2cIy9yt3ax2NT7UWaLXAkN

Right now I have a NY strip roast in a Sous Vide water water batch. The roast was salted, peppered and rosemary applied berfore vacuum packing. Then into a 145 degree water bath for 2, 8, 18, 140 hours to cook to a perfect medium. Since the set point of the water will never exceed 145 degrees the meat will never over cook. Once out of the water bath a quick sear in a hot CI pan or over red-hot coals, slice and enjoy. Here's a pic of the SV almost up to temp and the roast snuggled in unil about 6:30 tonight when we'll eat.

[Muzz]

I am waiting for someone to comment on how they add them to steel cut oats.......

[Texas Turnip]

Interesting thread on this method of cooking eggs, however I like to go into an old time bar that has the gallon of pickled eggs with the slime on it. The barkeep puts his dirty hands in and gets you an egg. You load it with Tabasco, eat and wash down with 5,6 or 10 beers. I've never heard of anyone getting sick. Too bad the health department closed down my favorite joint

Tex

[cliffrod]

I get the chemical reaction with the vinegar.
I get the physical reaction with the vortex.

But, what if you want to make two or three?  You can't re-vortex with a  half-cooked egg in there.

Regina loves poached eggs.  I'm going for the silicone things.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

Some basics to demystify the magic-

Danger temp range for food is 40-140F.  Egg yolk proteins coagulate at 158F.  Salmonella is killed at 165F.  At 212F (boiling water) would-be poached eggs quickly become super balls.... Not cool.

Chalazae are the protein structures in egg whites which locate or support the yolk in the shell.  That's the stringy thing stuck to the inside of the shell when you break an egg.  When broken onto a flat surface like a plate, a fresh egg will stand very vertical, well rounded and proud because the chalazae are still intact.    Supermarket eggs are typically weeks old by the time you buy or use them.  Compared to a fresh (like your own chickens or as close as possible) egg, these older eggs will be very flat when broken onto a plate because the chalazae have- at least- begun to decompose.  At this point, you need some gimmick or trick like egg cups, swirling water or ?? to make a well-organized poached egg.   Color of shell makes no difference.

Now that you know how to do it, check the eggs you plan to use before you start.  Use fresh eggs or skip poaching them.  Often, a totally awful & disorganized poached egg is the result of too cold water, too old egg or both at the same time.

Acid in your simmering water (190F) helps initiate the coagulation of the egg white periphery which in turn helps keep your poached egg well formed.  Having a large enough cooking vessel provides enough thermal battery to help compensate for the cooling of the cooking liquid as product is added.  Bringing your eggs to room temps helps, but commercial eggs have been cleaned of the shell cuticle.  This means they spoil quickly, compared to raw/fresh-laid which will survive at room temps for a very long period if cuticle remains intact.  If theyve been warmed, they must all be used to limit risk.

For a well-formed egg, you must break your eggs properly.  Crack on smooth surface to protect the integrity Of the egg structures.  The shell must be separated quickly so egg is not damaged.  It isn't hard to do but needs to be done properly.  Make every one a challenge to break more perfectly than the last one.  Two perfect half shells with no shatter or crumble.

If you're doing more than one or two (whether 5-6 or 2-3 30 dozen cases at a time....) Poach your eggs carefully in lightly salted, acidulated 190-200F water, slightly undercooked.  Transfer into iced water with a slotted spoon or ladle.  A quick pass through hot water immediately before service will finish cooking and bring them up to full temp.  In a former life, I had lots and lots of poached egg practice.  A timer may help, but the time allotted needs to be indexed to your equipment, method, temps, etc.

Save these old eggs for hard boiling because they peel easier.  As they decompose, the air void within the shell increases which helps a hard boiled egg be easily peeled.  Fresh eggs are nearly impossible to peel, because they have little to no air void, the chalaza are still doing their job, .....


BTW- I like poached or chopped hard boiled eggs on my oatmeal very much.  Tuna fish, olive oil, fresh oregano, salt & pepper is even better- that's my normal way to eat oatmeal at least once a week.   I don't prefer "sweet" oatmeal, oats or barley.

[Perazzimx14]

Some basics to demystify the magic-

Danger temp range for food is 40-140F.  Egg yolk proteins coagulate at 158F.  Salmonella is killed at 165F.  At 212F (boiling water) would-be poached eggs quickly become super balls.... Not cool.

Salmonella is instantly killed off at 165 degrees that is why it is suggested many foods be cooked to that temperature as a fail safe. Unfortunately at 165 degrees most foods is over cooked. You can all kill off salmonella at lower temperatures it just takes longer. This is why sous vide works. You cook longer at a lower temperature and there is a slower but effective kill off. I can sous-vide a meat smack dab in the middle of the "temperature danger zone" for 24 hours and it is perfectly safe to eat. actually the meat is ultra pasteurized and left sealed and under ideal refrigeration will keep for weeks without spoiling.