WOW! NEW FAB IDIOT-PROOF NON-MESSY WAY TO POACH EGGS!

[cyrilsneer]

I was watching some old episode of Come Dine With Me a couple of days ago and one of the contestants made poached eggs (to top a starter, I think) in cling film. I'd never heard of this method before but have just given it a go with spectacular success!

Doing poached eggs then "normal" way often results in the white splitting all over the pan, the pan boiling over and mess everywhere. This was so easy and worked perfectly!

If you google "poached egg cling" you'll get lots of instructions and there are demos on Youtube but basically:

1. Line a ramekin with cling
2. Rub a bit of oil around the inside
3. Crack an egg in
4. Tie the top up in a knot
5. Place this little parcel into a pan of boiling water
6. My egg was medium and I let it boil for 3 minutes
7. Remove the parcel, snip open the cling with scissors et voila!

We all love poached eggs in this house: They're great on roasted asparagus with shaved parmesan; Love them to top some pan-fried field mushrooms on rustic toast with some crispy pancetta; Great on a pea and parmesan risotto; Good with griddled tuna, olives, beans, tomatoes and leaves as a sort of Nicoise-y thing.

I'm so chuffed!

That sounds good. Not sure I could faff about with cling film though. I recently bought those silicon egg poacher pods as my kids love poached eggs on crumpets.

I may have to try your pea and parmesan risotto with poached egg, that sounds yum!

I'm going to try that tomorrow!

I have the silicon pods and, whilst I do use them, they do not produce the greatest poached eggs.

In a restaurant last week, I was served poached eggs that were exactly the shape of an egg in its shell. I was so intrigued by its shape then promptly forgot all about it and ate it so never got around to asking the waiter how the chef did them. Anyone know?

Thanks for this tip. I'm going to try it too. I hate cleaning the pan after doing poached egg, so I don't have them as often as I'd like.

I am tempted to try those silicon pods - but you say they don't work that well??

I have a poaching pan and it is a b**ger to clean ....

Is there also something about adding a little bit of white vinegar to the water ??

bran - isn't that a urban myth about cling film and microwaves???

I saw this too! Inspired, I poached an egg using cling film yesterday and the only difficult bit was getting it out of the cling film once it was cooked!

I will never poach an egg without cling film again

Thanks for that - perhaps the silicon pods is the way to go !!

I have seen this on Australian Masterchef but I think they used what they called industrial clingfilm.

Loving the sound of the pea and parmesan risotto with poached egg. Yum!

I've still never had a poached egg, and I'm 30! I keep meaning to try them but they seemed really faffy but now I might give it a go.

Do you have a recipe for the pea and parmesan risotto please? Or just a link if it's online.

I thought this one sounded nice. But any other recipes would be appreciated.

www.food.com/recipe/pea-and-parmesan-risotto-233997

Thanks.

I've just bought those silicone pod thingies and they work brilliantly. We all had poached eggs for breakfast and they came out perfectly.

I wonder what I'm doing wrong then...

I bought those silicone pods from Lakeland and had two problems: 1. The water came over the side of the pod on top of the egg and 2. I then couldn't get the egg out terribly well, even though I'd oiled the pod??

I don't really use a recipe for the pea and parmesan risotto to be honest, TotemPole, I'm hopeless with quantities - I usually cook by instinct and just do what looks and feels right. The rice is the only bit I weigh. Sorry, not very helpful...

Here's what I do, for what it's worth:

Saute chopped onion and lots of garlic in some butter and light olive oil.
Add arborio (3 oz per person)
Make some stock in a pyrex jug with a chicken stock cube and start stirring this in - keep adding it as the rice absorbs it until it is all gone. After that, add water from the kettle, if you need more liquid until the rice is cooked.
Cook lots of frozen peas (I use petits pois) in a separate pan for two minutes, drain and add.
Stir in lots and lots of freshly grated parmesan, some cream and a glass of white wine. Season to taste.

Perfectly nice as it is but you can juj it up a bit (is "juj" even a word?) by topping it with a poached egg, some wild rocket drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette, some crispy pancetta and some shaved parmesan.

It's a good family supper but you can also make tiddly portions as a starter for a supper party.

I've also made a smaller portion per person (2 oz arborio per person) and topped it with a piece of smoked haddock. That's nice too.

cyrilsneer, thanks very much, that sounds lovely.

My dm and her sister used to have a competition with poached eggs - I was only about 8, so couldn't compete. My uncle used to tease them about stupid the competition was, and then quietly do it himself and sit there very pleased with himself.

The competition involves eating a poached egg on toast by peeling all the white off the yolk. If the yolk bursts before all the white has been removed, you lose. The yolk has to still be runny btw.

Enjoy

It's really hard for me not to try and do it on the rare occasions I have a poached egg! Some habits are really hard to stop

Cyril I have the sillicon pods and I don't oil them. Works OK.

Omg. How lush! I love poached eggs bit just can't do them.

We have the poacher pods thingies and whilst they do cook the eggs, to me they are more like a chunky fried egg than a big plump poachie iykwim.

Off to the shop now to buy some 'heggs' for tea!

The trick is to bring water up to boil in the pan then give water a swirl so when you put the egg in the middle it helps keep it's shape, not so useful if your putting more than one egg in though! Once egg/s in turn heat down so they simmer not boil in the water