To ask about perfect poached eggs?

[AnnaFlabby]

I’m getting quite cross and frustrated, I’m a reasonable good cook but just cannot make poached eggs. I’ve tried cracking eggs straight into a pan of simmering water as well as using those yellow ‘poachie’ things which you can lightly grease to avoid the egg sticking to it.

Despite careful timing my eggs are always a disaster mostly breaking, falling apart and ending up a watery mess, does anyone know what I’m doing wrong?

DH swears by putting a dash of vinegar in the boiling water.
His poached eggs are always perfect, mine are a disaster and I never put vinegar in so maybe he’s right?

The eggs need to be as fresh as can be. A random caller into work once told me to submerge the eggs in the water in their shells for 10 secs first to “set” the white, before cracking into a cup and gently lowering into the water, lowering the cup into the water so that it floods the cup out.
The water also needs to be barely simmering - I was once told by a french chef that it needs to be giggling, not laughing :-)

Freshest eggs you possibly can, a shallowish pan. Bring the water to the boil and then turn it off. As soon as the water has settled, crack the eggs directly into the pan. (If this bit is the problem, crack the eggs into a ramekin first and then put them into the pan).

The eggs take a couple of minutes depending on the size of the eggs. I find if you put the toaster down as soon as the eggs have gone into the water, they're ready at the perfect time!

Crack an egg into a large mug and fire in the microwave for a minute alongside a splash of vinegar and salt. Cowards way out but at least you know you’ll end up with what you want.

Couple of oils sprays in a pan with an inch of cold water. Eggs in and cook. Perfect every time

As PP said, you want the water simmering not boiling so small bubbles not large. Water needs to be acidulated so either a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. Any acid will do really, it's just to help the egg coagulate.

Swirl the water to create a 'whirlpool' and crack the egg close to the centre. Or else crack it into something else before hand and gently pour it in 😁

Eggs breaking up into a stringy mess when you’re trying to poach them, indicates that the eggs are not fresh enough for poaching method.

I’ve just had poached eggs on toast for lunch. My method:

Large saucepan of water brought to a gentle simmer
Eggs in slightly oiled silicone moulds
Pop the eggs in the pan, turn down the heat so the water is not bubbling at all
Lid on saucepan, set timer for 5-6 mins depending on whether you like your yolk to still be runny or not

Job done.

Use a non stick frying pan, tiny bit of water in the bottom, crack egg in then put a lid on. Leave for a couple of minutes. I do fried eggs the same way, with a tiny bit of oil or butter.
Another method for poach is to swirl the boiling water into a mini whirlpool then drop the egg into the middle. That gives the proper poached egg shape.

I just use one of these

www.lakeland.co.uk/72622/Induction-Safe-20cm-Egg-Poaching-Frying-Pan

Takes the hassle out of it and the eggs are perfect every time.

I might have some on crumpets later.

Buy smaller eggs. Apparently younger hens lay smaller eggs and these have more structural integrity so go less floaty. Large eggs are usually laid by older hens and are 'looser' so are less perfect when poached.

Gently simmering water, good dash of vinegar, stir hard to get a whirlpool going, crack eggs in. The whirlpool keeps the whites around the yolk. Toast on. By the time it pops, they're done.

Now, I can't make omlettes to save my life, but poached I have cracked

Put cling film loosely over a mug, crack the egg into the cling film and peel the cling film up and tie it at the top in a tear drop shape.
Put the eggs in simmering water for 5.5 mins and then take out and remove cling film.
Not the prettiest but definitely works

Cling film method. Perfect every time.

https://www.sidechef.com/recipes/3867/perfectpoacheddeggsclinggfilm_method/

@plodalong12

Crack an egg into a large mug and fire in the microwave for a minute alongside a splash of vinegar and salt. Cowards way out but at least you know you’ll end up with what you want.

Be very cautious about cooking eggs in a microwave. There is a risk of explosion and some people have had severe facial burns from doing this.

Just bought this it’s great have bought poaching bags, the silicone things used cling film my search for perfect poached egg equipment is over

Oh and a microwave poached that went in the bin very quickly

Sounds like your eggs are not fresh enough. Vinegar will help with older eggs to a point. I usually crack into a small cup/ramekin first then gently put in the water, which I find easier than the whirlpool thing.

What cooker do you have? I find I can cook great poached eggs on a gas hob but not on electric hob. I don't really understand why but my method is:

Boil kettle
Pour into saucepan
Bring to the boil
Crack in eggs
Lid on
Bring back to the boil
Turn to low for 60 seconds
Turn off gas and leave in water for a couple of minutes
Remove with slotted spoon and put on kitchen roll to remove water

Perfect every time

If I try and do the same thing on my not quite sure what type of electric (not induction) but does my brain in hob it just doesn't work. Don't think electric is reactive enough to get the water back up to boiling quickly and then turn down to low.

I almost always make perfect

Simmering water, give water a stir so it's moving in a circle , put egg into cup and the tip into water

Always comes out perfect

Crack eggs into a pan of cold tap water. Put in gas and heat. Perfect poached eggs.

Vinegar - a decent glug. Break into (just) boiling water. Leave on simmer for 3 mins (if you like a runny yolk).

I only mastered this recently and now make amazing poached eggs!

Bring water to the boil then turn it right down. Once there’s no bubbles in the water, I crack the eggs into a small bowl (1 at a time) and then lower it into the water. Then set a timer for 3 minutes.

If the eggs aren’t fresh, I crack the egg into a strainer first to get rid of any runnier bits. Then put the egg in the bowl as above.

I don’t use vinegar or swirl the water or anything.

Do you have an induction hob OP. I have found it really hard to do a decent poached egg on one. It seems to maintain the simmer by turning the ring on and off- which doesn’t maintain the gentlest simmer needed for the eggs.

I've always found eggs that are kept in the fridge poach so much better than a room temp
Egg!