Poached eggs are such a simple dish, and yet, when cooked right, they can be sheer perfection,
somehow combining the best elements of boiled and fried eggs and managing to transcend both.
Not to mention, a perfect poached egg is crucial to creating that queen among brunch dishes,
eggs Benedict, and it can also enhance anything from avocado toast to a salad.
The problem with poached eggs is that while the cooking process itself is not overly complex,
it's still surprisingly easy to screw up.
So, while you may have to crack a few eggs to perfect your poaching technique in your
quest to right all the egg-cooking wrongs you've been making, eggs are only pennies
each, so it's worth spending a little time practicing.
Before you get started, though, you'll want to make sure to avoid the biggest egg-poaching
mistake you can make: not using enough water.
To poach correctly, an egg needs a lot of room to float, and it can't be crowded.
You'll first need to make sure you select the right size pan, which means you'll at
least need to use a deep, wide skillet that's at least three inches tall.
The height requirement is actually a must-have, since poached eggs require three inches of
water to cook.
But it's a balancing act; you don't want too much more water, because that might make the
egg difficult to remove.
But use less than three inches and it's just not going to set up right since there won't
be room to perform the signature swirl.
Wait, what?
Swirling the water?
Uh oh, don't say you've been forgetting to do that step, too.
Before you add your egg to the poaching pan, you'll need to use a fork, spoon, or whisk
to swirl the simmering water gently until it creates a vortex.
The water's circular motion will help to keep both yolk and white together as the egg starts
to cook.
If you skip the swirl, the raw egg will just drop to the bottom of the pan and start dispersing.
"It's a beautiful moment and you've ruined it.
You ruined it."
As for water temperature, you don't want the water boiling hot, since the eggs just won't
poach right if they're fully cooked within seconds of being dropped in the pot.
On the other hand, the cooking water shouldn't be too cold, either.
What you're looking for is a nice simmer, which is that gentle bubbling that comes before
a rolling boil.
For those who like exact numbers, that's about 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
The water is going to lose some heat once the cold egg hits it, so it needs to be hot
enough to compensate for that, although you can and should help to offset this heat drop
by using eggs that have been out of the refrigerator long enough to reach room temperature.
As a general rule, whenever you're baking with eggs, it's best not to break them directly
into the mix, since if you get a bad one, doing so is going to spoil your entire recipe.
Instead, it's advisable to break each egg first into a cup or or small bowl.
When you're poaching eggs, this method is still something you should be employing, since
if you break an egg directly into the cooking water, the egg will separate with the yolk
dropping to the bottom in much the same way that it will if you fail to swirl the cooking
water.
An added benefit of breaking the eggs before you add them to the pot is that this can help
you poach a bunch of eggs more quickly, assembly-line style.
Hey, you never know when some friends are going to drop by for a spur-of-the-moment
party!
"What are you doing here?"
"We came here to eat dinner and to party.
This is a dinner party, right?"
In order to get your poached egg whites to set up nice and firm around that tender yolk,
it helps to add some vinegar to your cooking water.
Just plain old distilled white vinegar works just fine.
No need to use a pricy flavored or specialty vinegar, since the taste is just going to
be diluted by the water in the pan.
Now you know, just a few simple tips and tricks, and you'll be poaching eggs like a pro in
no time!
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