how do you make a poached egg?

Answer 1

What's the best way to poach an egg? They have a reputation for being more difficult than they really are, what with being surrounded by the twin mystiques of brunch and Hollandaise. In fact, poached eggs are the easiest to make -- provided you ignore classical techniques that use too much water kept at too high a temperature.

If you've tried to poach eggs in a vat of simmering water, you've seen the whites turn into balls of string and the yolks left to cook nearly alone. The eggs may have sunk or turned gray. It may disappoint you to learn that if you've poached eggs in little cups in simmering water in a pan on top of the stove, you actually haven't poached them all, but steamed them.

It doesn't have to be like this if you try the following easy poaching method. The method uses much less water than the big-pot procedure, and the water is kept at a temperature below a simmer. I promise you, it is foolproof and makes poaching eggs a joy.

First: Lose the big pot of water. Instead, retrieve a medium-sized skillet (10-inch diameter) that has a lid. If your skillet doesn't have a matching lid, try on some of your other lids -- one of them is bound to do the job. If not, you can cover the skillet with a baking sheet or large dinner plate. All right, go to the sink and fill the skillet with about 3 inches of water -- that's all. Put the skillet on high heat. Cover it to speed up the heating time. Meanwhile, for 4 eggs, crack one each into four small cups or bowls. You can use coffee cups, little Asian tea cups, custard cups or the little poaching cups that from the poaching set you will no longer be using.

Second: Put all cups of eggs on a plate, and have them convenient to the stove. When the water in the skillet boils, remove the cover. Add one tablespoon of plain vinegar to the water, and some salt. Vinegar helps the egg to hold its shape. Without it, the eggs will become skeins of protein tangling up in the water. When the salt goes in, it will actually raise the temperature of the water. Watch the bubbles. I happen to like the vinegar taste on the finished egg. If you don't, put the finished poached eggs in a bowl of water. This stops the cooking and washes away the vinegar. If you like the vinegar, try a splash of herbal, apple cider, or sherry vinegar.

Third: Lower the lip of each egg-cup 1/2-inch below the surface of the water. Let the eggs flow out. Immediately return the lid to the pan and turn off the heat. Set a timer for exactly three minutes for medium-firm yolks. Adjust the time up or down for runnier or firmer yolks. While the eggs cook, you have the time to make four pieces of toast, set the table, wash the empty cups, and put the buttered toast on plates. When the timer goes off, remove the cover. Ah! Lift each perfectly poached egg from the water with a slotted spoon, but hold it over the skillet briefly to let any water clinging to the egg drain off. Gently lay an egg on each piece of toast. And there you have it. Perfect poached eggs actually cooked in residual heat and not in the literal sense of the term, poached at all.

Poaching Eggs in Advance
The question always arises that if poached eggs are such great brunch food, how can they be served to a gathering at home? It's very easy, but requires about ten minutes of planning. Decide how many eggs you'll need. Each person should get two. For a party of six, 12 eggs may be poached, as above, in two skillets, with 6 in each -- all cooking at the same time. As they become done, put them in a big bowl of cold water. Refrigerate them, uncovered, up to three days. When the party is ready to eat, heat a Dutch oven full of water until it boils. Drop the eggs in -- again using the slotted spoon -- and simmer them about 30 seconds, just to warm through.

Answer 2

Here is how to make perfect poached eggs.

1. Nearly fill a covered frying pan or other shallow pan with water. Add a teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons white distilled vinegar. Bring it to a boil.

2. While heating the water, break your eggs (up to four) into custard or coffee cups - one to a cup. When the water is boiling - remove it from the heat source. Gently pour the eggs into the hot water - try and do this all at once so all the eggs cook the same amount of time. Do not stir or bother the eggs in any other way.

3. Cover the pan and wait four minutes. Drain the eggs over the pan in a slotted spoon and serve! For firmer eggs - cook 4 1/2 minutes. For softer eggs cook 3 1/2 minutes.

This couldn't be easier.

Answer 3

Always use fresh eggs.
When using a non-stick skillet cook in no more than an inch of water. If you don't have a non-stick pan, poach in a deep saucepan containing at least 3 inches of water.

Use vinegar or lemon juice (1 tsp per each cup of water). Bring liquid to a boil, add eggs, then remove from heat and cover.

How long you ask? It depends on how many eggs. I like my yolks barely runny so I'll cook 4 eggs for 7 to 8 minutes depending on there size. Since more eggs will absorb more heat from the water, they will take longer to cook.

Always remove eggs with a slotted spoon. Poached eggs can be refrigerated in ice water for up to 8 hours, then reheated in hot water. Do not re-boil.
Enjoy!!! =)

Answer 4

1. Nearly fill a covered frying pan or other shallow pan with water. Add a teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons white distilled vinegar. Bring it to a boil.
2. While heating the water, break your eggs (up to four) into custard or coffee cups - one to a cup. When the water is boiling - remove it from the heat source. Gently pour the eggs into the hot water - try and do this all at once so all the eggs cook the same amount of time. Do not stir or bother the eggs in any other way.
3. Cover the pan and wait four minutes. Drain the eggs over the pan in a slotted spoon and serve! For firmer eggs - cook 4 1/2 minutes. For softer eggs cook 3 1/2 minutes.

Answer 5

Crack egg into small bowl, put water on to boil,BUT DO NOT LET IT BOIL! Slowly drop egg in at the instant that bubbles appear, but not a rolling boil. Remove with slotted spoon when all whites have become solid but yokes are still runny. Place on toast and enjoy.

Answer 6

you can buy a poached egg cooker. the egg sits in a little tray in water and is cooked that way. you can get a microwave poached egg cooker but they aren't that good cooked that way. there may be other ways to cook them but i am not familiar with them. good luck.

Answer 7

take a small sauce pot 3/4 full of water, add 4 tablespoons vinegar. bring to gentle boil. GENTLY crack egg into water. boil for about 3-4 min. till you'll see the egg congeal remove with a slotted spoon.

Answer 8

Boil water in shallow pan about 2", turn down low,crack egg into water, To help cook top keep spooning water over top to cook faster.

Answer 9

I don't know if this is a poached egg, but I crack one into a muffin tin and bake it up that way.

Answer 10

crack the egg in to boiling water