Poaching Eggs - help!

keiraev
keiraev Posts: 695 Member
edited October 1 in Recipes
Not really a recipe but a technique...I LOVE poached eggs but am utterly useless and they always look like God knows what when they come out of the pan!

Anyone here a poaching genius who cares to share their secret??
«1

Replies

  • kirstiey
    kirstiey Posts: 243
    You need a coodeler it is a little pot you lut the egv in and then put it all in the water
  • heather1945
    heather1945 Posts: 117 Member
    To poach mine....I have a small pot/saucepan of water, just on the boil. Break the egg/eggs into a saucer or larger dish if necessary. Give the water a good swirl with a spoon to create a mini whirlpool then gently slip the eggs in the water. The spinning water helps keep the whites reasonably intact. A lot depends on how fresh the eggs are to. The fresher the egg the more the white will stay intact. Enjoy.....
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    Use a poaching pan - much easier than the whizz in the water method....
  • bex879165
    bex879165 Posts: 121 Member
    I have a microwave egg poacher!! Cheating I know but I love them & i'd never manage in a pan!! :-)
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    I don't have much luck so I cheat with an egg poacher (more like steamed egg to be honest) Still very nice

    http://stownend.com/Images/Egg Poacher.JPG

    but I found this article..... http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/sep/16/how-make-perfect-poached-egg
  • meggers123
    meggers123 Posts: 711 Member
    To poach mine....I have a small pot/saucepan of water, just on the boil. Break the egg/eggs into a saucer or larger dish if necessary. Give the water a good swirl with a spoon to create a mini whirlpool then gently slip the eggs in the water. The spinning water helps keep the whites reasonably intact. A lot depends on how fresh the eggs are to. The fresher the egg the more the white will stay intact. Enjoy.....

    that's how I do it too. it's all about the tornado spin. :smile:
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_poached_eggs/

    Here's two simple ways - with or without a poaching pan.

    (No to microwave ones. Rubbery nasty! :-D )
  • keiraev
    keiraev Posts: 695 Member
    Right- well that explains why just chucking them into a pan of water hasn't been working tho- thank u!:flowerforyou:
  • Papillon22
    Papillon22 Posts: 1,160 Member
    I've never done this, but here's a video that might help:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtZ14xEbgzg
  • lwoodroff
    lwoodroff Posts: 1,431 Member
    I do it the delia way. Frying pan with 1 cm or a little deeper simmering water. Break in egg then baste as you would a fried egg. :)
  • sugarbone
    sugarbone Posts: 454 Member
    I use these cute little non-stick boats that float in the boiling water and I crack eggs into them - I used to poach into swirling boiling water but it was a pain drying the eggs off, and sometimes damp paper towel would stick, etc. I'm a sucker for kitchen gadgets :P

    egg-poach-pod-e1276037862783.jpg

    aren't they cute!
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    I do it the delia way. Frying pan with 1 cm or a little deeper simmering water. Break in egg then baste as you would a fried egg. :)

    That sounds good. Does it need to be a non-stick pan?
  • lwoodroff
    lwoodroff Posts: 1,431 Member
    No as they shouldn't be a prob. However I tend to use non stick so can't promise!
  • sara46ward
    sara46ward Posts: 7 Member
    I've used my grandmother's poaching set all my life. It has 4 sort of triangular pans held up above boiling water. This is probably 100 years old now......so it is not high tech. I guess it is more like steaming, but it works everytime and you can cook the eggs from near raw to hard throughout. I light the egg whites done and the yolk soft.
  • sara46ward
    sara46ward Posts: 7 Member
    These little green poaching containers are the cutist things I've ever seen. They're such a good idea. Where did you buy them?
  • jenfunfur
    jenfunfur Posts: 263 Member
    i second the floating silicon 'boats' they're really cheap & makes poaching so easy :)
  • it is all about the tornado spin! You can also up your chances by throwing a splash of plain white vinegar in the pan too. It helps the proteins seize up and hold together.
  • jameslucy
    jameslucy Posts: 85 Member
    I make mine the simple way. Boil a kettle of water then pour it into a large microwaveable bowl. Crack the eggs in and micro for 2-3 mins.
  • keiraev
    keiraev Posts: 695 Member
    I use these cute little non-stick boats that float in the boiling water and I crack eggs into them - I used to poach into swirling boiling water but it was a pain drying the eggs off, and sometimes damp paper towel would stick, etc. I'm a sucker for kitchen gadgets :P

    egg-poach-pod-e1276037862783.jpg

    aren't they cute!

    I want those- gonna look on Amazon!
  • pamsdish
    pamsdish Posts: 30 Member
    I use an egg poacher purchased from morrisons £5 ,water boiling in go eggs 5 mins perfect, I like my eggs slightly undercooked
  • vanessaclarkgbr
    vanessaclarkgbr Posts: 731 Member
    I use a microwave egg poacher too! Other half follows Delia (and his are lovely lol) - http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/eggs/how-to-poach-an-egg.html
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
    I use a bowl of water and the microwave. Put the eggs in the cold water in a cereal sized bpwl. Nuke it for about two minutes. The whites stay together and its done quick. Filtered water for some reason doesn't work as well as tap.
  • maygans
    maygans Posts: 196 Member
    I always add a splash of apple cider vinegar to my egg poaching water, it gives it another depth of flavor and it helps the whites stay together. Win-win!

    Also I put them on a paper towel on a plate for a minute before putting them on whatever the final destination is (to dry them a bit). I might need to try the whirlpool technique too!
  • Ciarad7
    Ciarad7 Posts: 7 Member
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVmuMpabOOI

    Poached egg using cling film!
  • I picked up very little working in a kitchen when I was younger, but the key is a capful of vinegar. It increased the viscosity of the eggs, keeping them together, whether you swirl them or not. Try it and see if they don't come out perfect!
  • andreaie
    andreaie Posts: 369 Member
    you need tp bring the water to the boil and add vinegar... dont add salt as it makes the eggs fall apart... i could never poach an egg and my chef husband had to teach me.. i have them most days now i lurveeee them... practise makes perfect :)
  • eleanoreb
    eleanoreb Posts: 621 Member
    A trick is to add a little vinegar into the water..
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member
    To poach mine....I have a small pot/saucepan of water, just on the boil. Break the egg/eggs into a saucer or larger dish if necessary. Give the water a good swirl with a spoon to create a mini whirlpool then gently slip the eggs in the water. The spinning water helps keep the whites reasonably intact. A lot depends on how fresh the eggs are to. The fresher the egg the more the white will stay intact. Enjoy.....

    Couldn't have said it better myself! The freshest eggs possible, then stir round the edge of a small pan untill there's a whirpool, drop egg into the middle... voila!
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
    I have a microwave egg poacher. It looks like 2 little boobs. :laugh: I spray the two cups with nonstick cooking spray, put in maybe a tablespoon of water, & crack the eggs into them. Microwave for 1 minute and they're done. They're not rubbery or overdone at all when I do them that way and they've never exploded.
This discussion has been closed.