Poaching an egg is quick and easy. Within less than 10 minutes you can have a delicious, drippy egg for a healthy meal with vegetables, over hash or on an Eggs Benedict, topping for a salad, in a rice or grain bowl, even in a soup.
Eggs are always something you have on hand, so start practicing poaching them and see where it leads you.
How to Poach an Egg
Step One:
Get your eggs ready.
Step Two:
Fill a shallow pan about 2/3 full. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to the water. (If using a larger pan, 1 tablespoon).
You can add a teaspoon of salt to the water if you want to season your eggs, but it isn't necessary.
Bring to a simmer.
To simmer is to keep it right under the boil. You can see these small bubbles and they are breaking, but the water is not boiling.
Step Three:
Either crack your egg directly into the water making sure you do so right above the water or use a small ramekin to lower your egg into the water.
By gently putting the egg into the water, you ensure the egg white doesn't go all over the place and stays close to the yolk. Ensuring the water is at a simmer also helps.
Step Four:
Gently swirl the water around the egg making sure the yolk is covered in the water.
This once again ensures the egg stays together in a compact servable form.
Cook the egg for 3-4 minutes depending on the size, but no longer.
Step Five:
Remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon.
Dry the bottom of the spoon if serving right away to ensure you don't add water to the dish.
You can poach eggs ahead of time. Using Julia Child's method, remove the egg and place it in cold water for up to 4 hours. To keep longer, remove when cooled and store in the refrigerator up to 2 days.
To reheat the egg, heat salted water. Place the egg in the hot water for about 30 seconds or so to heat through.
Take a look at the video of this cooking lesson: How to Poach an Egg
