Poached eggs

[oilhed]

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.

I think that is genius for single folks.  That and a vac sealer.  Cook your steak, pork, chicken then sear or put in some heated sauce & serve with rice, pasta or potatoes!

[cliffrod]

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.

Guess you'll have to decide if you going to poach or sous vide....  Each is a unique process.

Since the egg whites or albumen coagulate at approx 140F and then yolks at 156F, it should be obvious that 165F to be "safe" is getting well into the over-cooked super ball realm.  The cooked temp of the product is always a judgment call the cook or customer needs to make.   

[Perazzimx14]

I think that is genius for single folks.  That and a vac sealer.  Cook your steak, pork, chicken then sear or put in some heated sauce & serve with rice, pasta or potatoes!

I also works well for families. Heck you can do a whole packers brisket if you have a big enough vac bag. Here's a glimpse of what a NY Strip roast looks like after being in the sous vide bath for 6 hours. Perfect medium and tender as fillet.

[tris]

The good (or bad depending on your perspective) is that I heard of most of the solutions (except the sous vide) and I suspect the B99 prbably got it right in reply #1

Practice.

I couldn't believe that it could be hard to do but wasn't sure what I was doing wrong!

That sous vide bit of kit that you hang on hte side of a saucepan is an interesting bit of kit, and not silly expensive

Thanks everyone

[Perazzimx14]

Sous vide is nothing more than precision cooking. Fishes really gain benefit for the SV process as fish goes from undercooked to overcooked in seconds with traditional het methods. Also you can take inexpensive lean tougher cut of meat like eye of round adn SV the for 8 hours and have the most tender roast beef you've ever eaten. The low temp and long duration give time for enzymes to break down the connective tissues ans tenderize the meats ll the while doing and effective kill off a bad bacteria.

I also use the SV cooker to make cheese. I fill the sink with water and hook the SV on the divider and set it to 102 degrees. Then I can float a cheese pot in the sink making a double boiler set exactly where i need.

SV cookers are getting less expensive. For awhile Walmart had a version on clearance for $17. Certainly not top of the line but will work. I have an Anova that was a little over $100 and I love it. Another nice addition is a Coleman 8" stackable cooler. Drill a 2-1/2" hole in the lid to slide the SV in and you now have a really big cooking area that is thermally insulated and sealed from water evaporation. You can now do more work with a lower wattage immersion heater and do bigger or more cuts of meat. I can easily fit a 15 to 18 lb packers brisket in my cooler. I can keep the temp inside the cooler anywhere from 32.1 degrees to 210 degrees or anywhere in between in 1/10 degree increments.

[chuck peterson]

Such a well rounded group of bad ass bikers, eh? ............

[Toecutter]

Hey!  A question in my wheelhouse!

First... make sure your eggs are up to it. If you crack an egg on a plate, there should be three distinct "heights" the to egg. The yolk, the surrounding white should be firm and high, and then a small amount of the lower, third level of white. If the white spreads and is runny... you're gonna get a snotty looking egg.

Get about a 1 litre pot. Water, salt and a touch of vinegar, The vinegar helps to toughen the white, and prevent the "snotty whites". The water should not taste "vinegary". Bring it to a low boil. Turn it down to a simmer.

Using a slotted spoon, sitr the water in a slow circle... your'e trying to create a slight "whirlpool" in the middle. Nothing violent... just "moving water".

Crack the egg into the centre of the pot. The swirling motion of the water should pull the white nice and tight to the egg. Cook to your chosen doneness. You should end up with a nice, neat "egg comet".

[Toecutter]

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

You just add the eggs one after the other. The water is still moving and the eggs wont' "combine".

[Perazzimx14]

Such a well rounded group of bad ass bikers, eh? ............

Have you seen the Guzzi crowd? Its a group of bad ass eaters that ride motorcycles.

[Toecutter]

Well... some of us have made a career outta feeding those bad-ass eaters that ride motorcycles, while riding ourselves.

It's a tough trade... and many times in my life, I hated the trade as almost as much as I hated myself for choosing it. But,at this age? Not sure I would change anything. Maybe a bit less of the bullshit that seemed so perfectly normal back then, and so ridiculously innappropriate now... but... no good story starts with "Everything was perfectly normal and nothing interesting happened", right?

[chuck peterson]

Have you seen the Guzzi crowd? Its a group of bad ass eaters that ride motorcycles.

Absolutely!

[screamday]

You know......after reading all this, I think scrambled is just fine. 

[mechanicsavant]

Personally, I almost fill a 9in. skillet w/ cold h2o ada splash of vinegar and cover . Bring to just below boil. Eggs must be@room temp,I leave mine on the counter anyway,crack eggs into custard dishes. Gently lower egg into water tip custard dishes to imerse  into water. I usually do at least 2-3this way. Time is dependant upon how firm you like them & size the boneless chicken , usually 3.5-4.5 min.

[Rough Edge racing]

  We have a dozen hens, I have a wife that's a retired cook...She says those "silicone" egg poachers shown in a previous post work as well as anything...
 There's some reputable research showing men who eat of lot of eggs may have higher rates of prostate cancer...Take it for what it's worth and do enjoy your eggs,   

[dguzzi]

As a centrifuge guy, I wonder why the egg white isn't forced to the outside?

[cliffrod]

Well... some of us have made a career outta feeding those bad-ass eaters that ride motorcycles, while riding ourselves.

It's a tough trade... and many times in my life, I hated the trade as almost as much as I hated myself for choosing it. But,at this age? Not sure I would change anything. Maybe a bit less of the bullshit that seemed so perfectly normal back then, and so ridiculously innappropriate now... but... no good story starts with "Everything was perfectly normal and nothing interesting happened", right?

Agreed.  Even though it's not my career anymore, Cooking paid for the majority of my bikes until I started carving granite full time.  If one has to explain that being a professional chef is not Martha Stewart/reality tv/dress-up bs,  you wouldn't understand.  And there's a big difference between apprenticeship and simply graduating from a culinary school with a google phone permanently attached to your body.

It was always better when the Guzzi was waiting for me in the parking lot after a long day or to have a 500f oven to warm & dry me after a 4am, rain or shine 30 mile ride to work in often 30-40f temps.    It felt more odd to ride the Guzzi to work when I had that brief office/desk job. 

[Toecutter]

Agreed.  Even though it's not my career anymore, Cooking paid for the majority of my bikes until I started carving granite full time.  If one has to explain that being a professional chef is not Martha Stewart/reality tv/dress-up bs,  you wouldn't understand.  And there's a big difference between apprenticeship and simply graduating from a culinary school with a google phone permanently attached to your body.

It was always better when the Guzzi was waiting for me in the parking lot after a long day or to have a 500f oven to warm & dry me after a 4am, rain or shine 30 mile ride to work in often 30-40f temps.    It felt more odd to ride the Guzzi to work when I had that brief office/desk job.

Apprentice/ cook/ Chef... it just gels so well with classic motorcycles.  Something about it. Simple, old school trade, with simple old school transport... both of which are often difficult, but immensely rewarding. Ending one of those epic, non-stop shifts that you *knew* was gonna be a story for the pub, some years down the road... and walking out to the bike, knowing you're gonna take the long way home...

[Muzz]

BTW- I like poached or chopped hard boiled eggs on my oatmeal very much. 

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin about!

[cliffrod]

Apprentice/ cook/ Chef... it just gels so well with classic motorcycles.  Something about it. Simple, old school trade, with simple old school transport... both of which are often difficult, but immensely rewarding. Ending one of those epic, non-stop shifts that you *knew* was gonna be a story for the pub, some years down the road... and walking out to the bike, knowing you're gonna take the long way home...

It's just tools and a workbench- That's always a great way to get paid doing what you love.  Never understood how others don't see how obvious it is.  In the kitchen, at least on the line, it's all knives and fire.  Hard to beat that, even if all you're doing is hundreds of poached eggs or a comparable batch of hollandaise (30 dz egg yolks, 10+ lbs of clarified butter, etc) with just your hand whisk and a big bowl off the Hobart.  No Betty Crocker excuses..  Never enjoyed the pantry or pastry/bake shop as much.  The dough kitchen schedule is good for getting out of the all-night drinking scene...

But strapping your kit on the back of your bike is always anxious- to much to lose.  Then there was the time when I lost that huge 2+ foot long watermelon off the back of the bike one night after we lost power, quit early and headed out for some fun. That was more than the bungee net could handle.

[Rich A]

I use the silicone cups. Follow the instructions: spray them with a little PAM before use. Cover the pan while cooking--I cook for 6+ mins. Do not use a lot of soap when cleaning them.

Rich A

[Lannis]

You know......after reading all this, I think scrambled is just fine. 

On the other hand, it can be easier to poach an egg right than to scramble one right ... There are scrambled eggs and there are Scrambled Eggs, and there's a big difference!!

Lannis

[Perazzimx14]

On the other hand, it can be easier to poach an egg right than to scramble one right ... There are scrambled eggs and there are Scrambled Eggs, and there's a big difference!!

Lannis

For really good scrambled eggs do not whisk in water or milk use a dollop of sour cream in stead. Overcooking scrmbeld eggs is super easy. If they are done in the pan they are overdone on the plate.

[tris]

I'm OK with scrambled eggs - and my top tip is to take them off the heat just before you think they're cooked, I can't be doing with dry crumbly scrambled eggs

Perhaps we need an "Egg In" and Guzzi Owners from across the globe could fly in for training sessions

We could even include a Steel Cut Oats workshop

[Rough Edge racing]

 As I mentioned, my wife has a dozen hens..They are fed some commercial food but much of their diet is grass, bugs and occasion hapless rodents.These are true free range birds,commercial free range just means they aren't jammed in cages .Layers in egg farms are stressed..The eggs she gathers aren't washed or refrigerated unless they will not be used within a week or so... We also have a rooster so some of the eggs are fertilized....The eggs from commercial farms taste like rubber in comparison...

[cliffrod]

I'm OK with scrambled eggs - and my top tip is to take them off the heat just before you think they're cooked, I can't be doing with dry crumbly scrambled eggs

Perhaps we need an "Egg In" and Guzzi Owners from across the globe could fly in for training sessions

We could even include a Steel Cut Oats workshop

For some reason, so many people you meet will say - "you're a real chef?!?  Wow.  We should get together when you have some free time.  You could cook dinner for everybody (or teach me how to do it).  Don't worry- I'll even buy the groceries if you tell me what to get.   We could relax & maybe have a few drinks while we watch you cook. That would be so much fun!  Really- it would be!"    Best part is when you finally had a rare Saturday afternoon/pm off and still get bushwhacked into cooking for these types.

Not many of those same folks willingly do their career work for us for free on their days off while we sit & watch just because...  but that doesn't mean I won't let you.  When should I expect y'all to get here?


So we can have it here at my place.  While I'm cooking & teaching (aka working), y'all can mow the lawns,  prune the orchards & vineyard, finish the barn for the chickens, put on a new roof, load & haul off a couple of truckloads of scrap stone, professionally paint a bike, swap an engine in one of the trucks, etc, etc.  lots of options.  What do you do?  I'm not picky.

".....that would be so much fun!  Really- it would be!"

[Toecutter]

For some reason, so many people you meet will say - "you're a real chef?!?  Wow.  We should get together when you have some free time.  You could cook dinner for everybody (or teach me how to do it).  Don't worry- I'll even buy the groceries if you tell me what to get.   We could relax & maybe have a few drinks while we watch you cook. That would be so much fun!  Really- it would be!"    Best part is when you finally had a rare Saturday afternoon/pm off and still get bushwhacked into cooking for these types.

Not many of those same folks willingly do their career work for us for free on their days off while we sit & watch just because...  but that doesn't mean I won't let you.  When should I expect y'all to get here?


So we can have it here at my place.  While I'm cooking & teaching (aka working), y'all can mow the lawns,  prune the orchards & vineyard, finish the barn for the chickens, put on a new roof, load & haul off a couple of truckloads of scrap stone, professionally paint a bike, swap an engine in one of the trucks, etc, etc.  lots of options.  What do you do?  I'm not picky.

".....that would be so much fun!  Really- it would be!"

Hah. Exactly.

I've yet to be invited to a get together where someone decides to wire my garage for me, while we all drink beer. Cooking is an unappreciated trade, really. Everyone "cooks, so everyone figures it's not a big deal. I can weld... but I sure as shit am not a professional weldor... and there aren't any weldors willing to do it for free, or "just to get everyone together".

There's a reason it takes 3 years of apprenticeship to become a journeyman cook.

Hell, I've done 1000 person functions, with various action stations set up... only to witness groups of people berating the cook and telling them "How it's supposed to be done". You'd never do that to your plumber.


I think there's a bit of a notion that those "original" trades (the ones that resulted in Angol-Saxon surnames... Butcher, Baker, Cook, Tailor, etc) aren't as "skilled" as the later trades to come along. It's always been a bit of a bone in my craw. Morseo when I was younger and everything was so much more important, and the chip on my shoulder was more like a sheet fo plywood. (Cooking was, maybe still is, an industry drowning in toxic masculinity).

Now? Now I like to cook for friends and family... but on MY terms. I invite you. You show up. You eat what I've made, when it's made.
Haven't had anyone complain yet. 

[Perazzimx14]

For some reason, so many people you meet will say - "you're a real chef?!?  Wow.  We should get together when you have some free time.  You could cook dinner for everybody (or teach me how to do it).  Don't worry- I'll even buy the groceries if you tell me what to get.   We could relax & maybe have a few drinks while we watch you cook. That would be so much fun!  Really- it would be!"    Best part is when you finally had a rare Saturday afternoon/pm off and still get bushwhacked into cooking for these types.

Not many of those same folks willingly do their career work for us for free on their days off while we sit & watch just because...  but that doesn't mean I won't let you.  When should I expect y'all to get here?


So we can have it here at my place.  While I'm cooking & teaching (aka working), y'all can mow the lawns,  prune the orchards & vineyard, finish the barn for the chickens, put on a new roof, load & haul off a couple of truckloads of scrap stone, professionally paint a bike, swap an engine in one of the trucks, etc, etc.  lots of options.  What do you do?  I'm not picky.

".....that would be so much fun!  Really- it would be!"

Just tell them you cook in the nude and beard nets are provided for the women who prefer not to shave.

[Lannis]

  We also have a rooster so some of the eggs are fertilized....

Maybe you can give us your wife's "Balut" recipe then?        

We used to have chickens when I were a lad ... heaven help the mouse or reptile that got within range of a chicken or two ... they're the fiercest predators on earth ....

Lannis

[Rough Edge racing]

Maybe you can give us your wife's "Balut" recipe then?        

We used to have chickens when I were a lad ... heaven help the mouse or reptile that got within range of a chicken or two ... they're the fiercest predators on earth ....

Lannis

 Oh yeah, like little Velociraptors.One will snatch a creature in it's beak and the others will try and take away..If a hen gets injured and bleeds the others go into a killing frenzy. The Rhode Island Rooster is a gentleman in comparison....Since the eggs are gathered daily, a fertilized egg never develops and breaking them open you can't tell one from the other. Some may have a blood spot on occasion but so do some eggs with no rooster in the area..It's short daylight winter so each  hen lays one or two eggs a week rather than  5 a week when the daylight is longer.
  I found you can have a lot of fun chasing chickens with a leaf blower..

[cliffrod]

Just tell them you cook in the nude and beard nets are provided for the women who prefer not to shave.

Sometimes that used to work.  Nowadays I'm reluctant to make the same offer, whether it's because who might show up or what they would do their Google phone when they did... 


Our chickens are enjoying their winter slack-off.  Sure hurts to buy eggs when you get used to having 1-2 dozen fresh eggs every day.  When we're swamped with eggs, we bag and freeze 9 at a time.  We used one of them for an omelette for breakfast this morning.