How to Perfectly Poach an Egg

useful :-)

lol ... even an article about poached eggs will have people arguing on Yahoo comments.

Merry Christmas. :D

I use the ring of the lid from a Mason Jar (used for making jam etc.) it works perfectly.. keeps the egg contained in the shape, spoon hot water on the yolk when cooking.. perfect eggs every time!

Having trouble finding interesting stories today

Give'm a shake or two of tobasco sauce, makes a morning eye opener out of the eggs.

I have always known to poach eggs into a frypan with a decent amnt. of water and salt (which I quit using) brought to a boil. The only thing I do different is to 'spoon' the water over the eggs to cook the tops (or create the whiteness), otherwise you have an uncooked goopy yolk top. Once the whites aren't pulling apart with a fork (which takes a few mins with the water simmering), then take the eggs out with a slotted spatula and transfer on top of toast slices. My Dad always called it 'sailor on a raft', the first eggs I learned to cook when i was a kid!

I used a steamer... works everytime. I just cut one of those plastic microwave egg poachers in half (so now you have 4 spots to put an egg) and pop them in the steamer for 5 minutes. Makes perfect round poached eggs.

Do NOT crack eggs directly into the water as they may not hold shape.Crack them slowly into a small dish or saucer first and then gently slide them into the water-perfect round shape everytime-guaranteed.

This is old news!

If you don't add the vinegar, then it's called a coddled egg, not a poached egg. Never crack it into the water in case it's a bloody egg. Crack it into a shallow bowl and slide it into the water.

so what is the purpose of the vinegar ?

My poor old Mom used to use sealer lids for poaching eggs, Worked perfect everytime.

next week on yahoo, how to toast bread perfectly....

re: "...trim your egg whites using a pair of scissors"
Erm... uh, actually, I prefer to use a rotary saw for that. Scissors are just too lightweight.

The boiling water part is where your mistake . Bring your pot of water to the boil then reduce the heat to simmering not boiling, at this point crack the egg just slightly above the water. The egg with lower into the pot , then it will turn from opaque to bright white . The cooking time will be from about 1 min 30 sec to 2 mins. Remember that even when you remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon and place on a muffin or toast the heat will stay in the egg and thus will continue to cook. In restaurants when preparing poached eggs because of the large quantity required , usualy we usualy do cases at a time and immdiately put the eggs in and cold water ice bath ( bucket). You do this the day before morning service you then just re heat in either a steam table with hot water or a simmer pot of hot water . Doing poached egg in a skillet makes the egg like a sunny up egg. My 20 plus years professional opinion for what its worth. Now the hollandaise or bearnaise is another story.

ever heard of an egg poacher...i've had one for 30 years and perfect every time.

I use 2 rubber tubs that I bought at LEE VALLEY in Burlington Ont.
It keeps a neat shape & is ever so clean (NO mess in the water.)
I break an egg in each tub then set them in boiling water. when they are done I lift the tubs out of the clean water & they slide right out of the tubs! Easy peesy & fast & clean!!!

Now that all the experts have spoken I'll tell you how a single Man does it.
I get one of those rubbermaid containers with lid (250ml). I line it with plastic wrap so wrap folds over top. I add 2 teaspoons of boiling water ( the kettle is already boiling for my mug of tea). Add the egg. Rest the lid on top and microwave for 50secs. (jumbo egg) Remove from microwave and lift out egg in wrap and slide onto toast. No need to wash container or pots and pans. Delicious. Throw away wrap.

The article is correct on how to do it, didn't think poaching an egg was rocket science or anything.

Thats right Gerda! for those who are criticizing the article, no one forced you to read it and the title is not misleading. I never thought of doing them in a pan or about vinegar!