poaching eggs

[ratcreature]

So how many tries does it typically take to get the knack of this technique? After consulting online instructions I just tried it for the first time, and the result was not encouraging. I mean, it was edible and had the characteristics of poached egg in that the yolk was warm but still runny and the egg white was cooked, so not a total fail, but I didn't manage to make the egg white adhere to the egg yolk, and instead had to fish out most of it in bits from the water.

Comments

[king_touchy]

Yeah, they're tricky. The only thing that helps me is to add a little vinegar in the water. Mine still don't come out as beautifully as I've had in some restaurants.

I love them, though. Poached eggs. Dropped in a bowl of tom yum or any ramin noodle type soup, but especially topped with hollandaise sauce, on an English muffin. Mmm.

[ratcreature]

I did the vinegar trick. I think because I tried to get a vortex movement like in the instructions the water just moved to much. Next time I'll try just sliding it into the simmering water and see how that goes. And yeah, I like them too. With soft-boiled or fried too often either part of the yolk ends up cooked too, which I'm not thrilled about, or a bit of the whites remains runny, which is just gross.

[laurajv]

Yeah, I always vinegar (using more vinegar than it says to on any site I've ever seen), and never swirl the water. I also crack the egg into a small bowl so that I can slide it in ever so gently.

[ratcreature]

Yeah, I did the bowl thing too (or rather I used a cup), and just simmered the water rather than boiling it so it didn't move much. Before I tried the swirling thing anyway, which must have been the crucial mistake. This supposed vortex formation that was to help wrapping the white around the yolk didn't work at all. The only other thing it could have been was that my egg wasn't very fresh as the instructions recommended for poaching but had been in my fridge for a bit.

[marinarusalka]

I always poach mine in the microwave, which may be cheating, but comes out much better than the few times I tried it on the stove.

[ratcreature]

How does that even work? Though I don't own a microwave, so it's not a real option for me.

[marinarusalka]

Basically, you put some water in a bowl, crack an egg into the water, cover, and microwave for a minute or two. I think it's easier because the water doesn't boil, so the egg holds together better.

[reginagiraffe]

Ooo, I'll have to try that! I love poached eggs but I haven't had good luck making them, either.