# Easy Perfect Poached Eggs!!



## BreezyCooking (Mar 1, 2009)

Okay - almost perfect. But no need for vinegar, separate little egg-pouring dishes, special poached egg pans, fresher than fresh eggs, yadayadayada.

I can't believe I'd never come across this method before, which is credited to Julia Child, but apparently has now run amok on the internet. She does mention it in her book "The Way To Cook", but I'm not absolutely sure she invented it based on all the versions I found on the internet. Regardless, outside of the time when I was raising my own chickens & was able to get eggs fresh from the hen's - ahem - butt, this is the first time I made poached eggs that I really felt proud of. And so darn EASY! Anyway, here's the version I used this morning for my Eggs Benedict (which is a bit different from the versions I glommed from the internet):

Bring a coverable nonstick pan of water (enough to completely cover the eggs in shell in a single layer) to a boil. Pierce the large end of each egg with an egg piercer or large pin or similar instrument & place in the boiling water. After JUST 20-25 SECONDS, remove the eggs & place in a paper-towel-lined bowl to cool until you're just able to handle them. Reduce boiling water to a bare simmer & then CAREFULLY crack each egg & break & release as close to the surface of the water as possible.

Immediately cover pot, reduce heat to lowest setting & start timing: 3 minutes for medium-soft; 5 minutes for firm through. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon, resting each spooned egg briefly on a paper towel to drain, & serve. 

The reason this works so fabulously well is that the initial brief in-shell plunge into boiling water coagulates the egg white just enough to keep it from spinning out of control like normally happens when poaching eggs the regular way, but doesn't actually cook it.

I have a feeling I'll be making more poached eggs than I used to!!!


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Mar 1, 2009)

What a wonderful idea!  Now, I have a tip for you as well.  You can season the egg by seasoning the poaching liquid with salt, pepper, and whatever other seasonings you like on your eggs.  You can also poach in chicken broth, milk, or even wine if you like.  If you add coloring to your poaching liquid, you can present colorful poached eggs for an Easter Morning breakfast.  Or if you're feeling playful, ever hear of "green eggs and ham"?

Poached eggs can be wonderful.  Just use your imagination.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Robo410 (Mar 1, 2009)

excellent! easier than the vortex method for sure.


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## BreezyCooking (Mar 1, 2009)

Goodweed of the North said:


> If you add coloring to your poaching liquid, you can present colorful poached eggs for an Easter Morning breakfast. Or if you're feeling playful, ever hear of "green eggs and ham"?
> Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


 
Of course I've heard of good old Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs & Ham"!!!  What normal child hasn't? 

That said, I prefer my food coloring on egg shells only.  For "Green Eggs & Ham" I prefer scrambling eggs with pesto for both flavor & color.


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## BreezyCooking (Mar 1, 2009)

Robo410 said:


> excellent! easier than the vortex method for sure.


 
Definitely!!  It was SO easy & worked so well & ended up looking so, well, "professional" - lol!!

I never had a problem when I raised my own hens (eggs fresh from a hen's butt have whites that cling to the yolk like Crazy Glue), but since then my poached eggs were always a travesty - & I tried every single method I came across.  None worked well enough for me until now.


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## Vanilla Bean (Mar 27, 2009)

Thank you, Breezy!!  I love poached eggs.  And, that seems like the best way to do it.  I have dealt with the "spidery" egg whites in the past, but just lived with it.  Now, they will look pretty too!

Thanks again for the info!


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