Wednesday, July 9, 2014

How to poach an egg



If you can you stand the boiling whoa-ta. I watched a dozen videos and all of them have unnecessary steps, where the chefs are not flatly wrong. Although all of them contain at least one good idea. I should make my own video. My methods are better than all that I've seen by these chefs. No brag. Just fact.

Take it from me. I know whereof I speak. 

The water does not need to be boiling. Eggs cook well below the boiling point even at high altitude. The doneness of eggs a function of time, the degree of denaturing of two types of albumen and yolk.  Roiling water interferes with gentle poaching and tends to spread the egg white. 

The water does not need to be swirled as suggested all over the place repeatedly. It is the vinegar added to simmering water that pulls the egg white together. It actually observably pulls it together. You can watch with your eyes, the white initially spread, freak out, and contract back unto itself, if incompletely. It's funny, like ew ew ew ew ew, vinegar. The acid prevents the albumen from spreading, and contributes a trace of flavor that is actually good, not at all undesirable for anything the egg will be used.  Vinegar and swirling does not "coagulate" the white as blood coagulates, rather, swirling tends to spread the albumen around unnecessarily in trailing threads. 

The egg needn't be lifted with a slotted spoon. A regular soup spoon works as well if not better, a serving size spoon even better for jumbo size eggs. The egg yolk, a blob, the object of attention,  pushes water off the sides of the spoon. Excess egg white hangs off the side of the spoon.

The excess egg unsightly white needn't be trimmed with a knife. The edge of the spoon against the inside of the pot works even better. It is a more eloquent trimming. The size of your poached egg will be the size of your spoon.

No need to dry off the egg with bread. What's wrong with a little surface water? It does not ruin anything, even toast, in fact it helps.

[Incidentally, raw spinach is not good. The vitamins unavailable, actually blocked.  They must be cooked for them to be beneficial. I'm surprised a chef doesn't appreciate this.]  

There is another good idea that I do not bother with having to do with straining each egg first to rid it of the loosest form of albumen that spreads out from old eggs and becomes thready and messy. The chef lowers the egg into the water with the strainer, jostling the strainer to free the uncooked egg into the water. The result is a nicely contained poached egg. 

Breakfast today: spaghetti carbonara.


28 comments:

AllenS said...

That, is a nice looking poached egg.

KCFleming said...

"How to poach an egg""

Shoot. I thought I was going to learn how to steal them.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

You know I did notice how the camera was the least interested in the poaching process of the eggs.

No egg face time, until one of the was stabbed in the hart.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

What's wrong with a little surface water?

Nothing, unless you are Noah.

KCFleming said...

That looks like something i'd actually try.

Unless it means I have to physically do something like get up.

ndspinelli said...

Short order cooks hate poached egg eaters.

Trooper York said...

Another great post Chip.

I don't know about the vinegar though. My wife complains that I put two much vinegar in everything already. How about some white wine instead?

ndspinelli said...

My brother started his cooking career doing short order. He says vinegar is one of the keys.

Paddy O said...

First hide behind the milk carton, then when the egg is looking away, grab it from behind.

The question is why poach an egg? They're not worth that much on the black market.

rhhardin said...

I have a microwave egg poacher. It produces poached eggs only because that's its name.

They're actually soft or hard boiled in result.

40% power for 5 minutes, with a tiny bit of water under each egg to produce steam.

The dog gets the yolks, I get the whites, in a bacon and egg sandwich.

The dog knows the drill.

Synova said...

I always fake poach my eggs. I stick them all (usually eight or so because... family) in the frying pan with butter and medium-ish heat, pour in half a cup of water and stick the lid on top.

The only real problem is getting them all out and on the eggs benedict without cooking the yolks through. They go from runny to hard in about the time it takes to think, "Huh, I wonder if those are done yet."

Synova said...

Also, I thought that raw spinach (and other green things) are good so long as you pour oil on them, because the vitamins are oil soluble... or something.

ndspinelli said...

We have some real heathens here. Do you put Velveeta on your faux poached eggs? Ketchup? Mayo?

XRay said...

"We have some real heathens here."

One among many reasons why I read here.

Chip, you should do your own cooking videos, you'd be a YouTube sensation.

Chip Ahoy said...

Trooper, wine is a good idea. I have three fortified wines right there, and now a boxed wine.

But the thing is, none of the vinegar becomes mixed in the egg. The egg is repelled by the vinegar, apparently repulsed by the vinegar, so when the egg is lifted out of the vinegar water, or wine-water, very little is lifted out with it. Only the surface dampness. I can barely taste it. It does not combine. But you might lift some out highly diluted.

Vinegar is cheaper. Use the cheapest you have. For a savings of 1₵ maybe 2₵.

The restaurant cook who dislikes customers who order poached eggs is a dummkopf. They're easy as pie to make in advance then hold in ice water. Lift out the pre-trimmed poached egg from ice water and dunk in hot water for a few seconds to bring up to temperature for serving. Actually, much easier than frying an egg.

If only they had me around to advise them. Their whole attitude would change.

You can serve a brunch for thirty people two poached eggs each more easily than anything else using this reserve-in-ice-water method Except maybe a frittata or some other cop out thing like that, some type of scrambled mélange for groups as one does on a campout or ski trip.

Fr Martin Fox said...

Chip:

Thanks for the video and great advice! I am learning a lot, thanks to you.

deborah said...

Love me some poached eggs, but I do mind surface water.

Michael Haz said...

Oh sure, Mr. Ahoy, you have a poached egg carbonara for breakfast um hum um hum while I'm stuck with the usual breakfast of Wheat Thins and a vodka gimlet like you're something special whoop whoop.

Michael Haz said...

And you bring up 'ski trip' all casual lime none of us has ever been to Poland or anything.

KCFleming said...

I had poached coffee for breakfast.

I don't mind the surface water.



Tank said...

I had an English muffin with cream cheese and strawberry jam.

Luddite (me).

It did taste good.

Chip, do you cater small parties?

ndspinelli said...

ChipS, Like so many trades, cooks get stuck in a box and can't see out of it. Short order cooking is rote by definition. When you're cracking, flipping, whipping, eggs. When you're slammed w/ 25 orders you must depend on the system. The system will allow you to get those orders out, and if you're good, you get them out perfectly. To get something new into the system, even if it is better, is difficult.

ndspinelli said...

And yes, my brother can be a dumpkof.

Chip Ahoy said...

Tank, I've catered my own large parties, medium parties, small parties, and I've catered weddings for friends. But not for dinero, all at my own expense. That has never been my profession. Eh, it's a gift.

Tank said...

Mr. Chip

I would be happy to let you do it pro bono so to speak. OK, just kidding. You're making me hungry man.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Good tips all. Kale and collards are better steamed too. I do like them a bit al dente.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Fresh eggs are a gift and cooking them gently is generally best. Omelettes are cooked hot and whisked, but I prefer Spanish or Italian style (low heat).

A gentle poach seems best.

Hardboiling eggs you throw them into the boiling water (to help with peeling them) but then reduce the heat to prevent over cooking.

ndspinelli said...

Jacque Pepin taught me the perfect hard boiled egg. Put eggs in pot covered w/ cold water. Bring to a boil, take off burner and cover for 10 minutes. Take them out of water and peel while warm. Perfect yolk and delicate, moist whites.