Poached eggs are absolutely delicious — unless you don't like eggs, in which case stop reading now (there are many egg photos ahead). But I have a confession to make: Despite the fact that I like to call myself a pretty solid cook, I couldn't poach an egg. Oh, the shame!
It was a culinary skill that completely and totally eluded me. A batch would come out too vinegary while another turned into a cloudy mess in the pan, and the one after, just the yolks emerged from the simmering water completely cooked.
So in the name of all that is good and glorious about food, I decided to once and for all conquer my fear of egg poaching. I turned to two solid sources for instruction: Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and Alton Brown's Perfect Poached Egg recipe and video.* Both were massively helpful.
This is what I found out, and good luck to you, brave fellow egg lover. The task that lies before might seem hard, but just start a gentle chant of "Eggs Benedict" to keep you going.
* If you do refer to Alton Brown's link above, know that the video and the recipe below vary slightly!
Images via Caylin Harris
Ingredients & Tools
You're going to need:
- eggs (the fresher, the better)
- water
- vinegar
- a non-stick skillet
- a clean ruler
- small ramekins
- a slotted spoon
- a cooking thermometer
- a plate
- a clean towel
Step 1
Pulling from the two sources I mentioned, here is what worked for me.
Pour water into your nonstick skillet until there is 1.5 inches of water. I measured just to be precise with my clean ruler. Julia Child recommends two inches, but I had the most success with using 1.5. Start heating the water on medium-low heat until you've got it gently simmering.
Step 2
Crack your desired number of eggs into separate, small ramekins. One egg in each and set them aside.
Step 3
Add a tablespoon of vinegar to the water. Julia recommends adding a tablespoon per quart, but I went with Alton Brown's suggestion of one. I think in previous attempts I had added a little too much, hence an overpowering vinegar taste.
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Step 4
Now here was the life-changing info that Alton Brown brought to this whole process: Using a cooking thermometer, check to see that the water has reached 190 degrees (F) before gently (and placing the ramekin into the water) tilting the egg into the water.
Step 5
Set a timer for 4.5 minutes and just let the eggs cook. Don't touch them or anything; I know other recipes may recommend trying to push the white of the egg over the yolk, but I found that I didn't need to mess with it.
Step 6
Using the slotted spoon, gently remove the two poached eggs from the water and place them on a clean towel on a plate. I've tried rinsing them off before, and it just made them cold, so as long as you're eating right away and have used the amount of vinegar mentioned above, you should be fine to serve them up any way you like!
Yum!
And voilà! Bon appétit!
Thank you, Julia Child and Alton Brown, for the culinary guidance.
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