how to cook the perfect poached egg?

esmf73

Had same problem with the poach pod things. Now I heat pan of water until boiling, add splash of cider vinegar (sure any sort would do) and then when boiling again crack egg into boiling water - I leave it there for a couple of minutes and then serve on toast! Yummy xx

madtrekker

Idiophreak wrote: »

I've got some and they don't work so good for me - they cook the bottom fine, but not the top...makes sense, I suppose...

I had this problem too until I re-read the instructions and realised I was meant to put a lid on the saucepan. Not sure if you've been doing this but it made a big difference.

LondonDreamer

CompBunny wrote: »

If you fancy reading a funny yet enlightening cult (well, amongst online geeky circles) experiment surrounding the poached egg issue:

http://www.b3ta.com/features/howtopoachanegg/

It explores the virtues of various poaching methods, and will make you laugh along the way :P Although, I'm afraid one conclusion reached is "Delia is an idiot"!!

I love this post, saw it ages ago. Thanks for the reminder.

Oh, and I use the clingfilm method. Perfect every time.

Eenymeeny

madtrekker wrote: »

I had this problem too until I re-read the instructions and realised I was meant to put a lid on the saucepan. Not sure if you've been doing this but it made a big difference.

Thanks for this. I just read it in an earlier post and thought now why didn't I think of that before? I'd dismissed those pods because the top hadn't cooked....:o
My BIL uses a flat baking tray on top of the pan. Gives you a hot surface to warm the plate or place keep the toast warm... genius, I thought!:)

CompBunny

Eenymeeny wrote: »

Thanks for this. I just read it in an earlier post and thought now why didn't I think of that before? I'd dismissed those pods because the top hadn't cooked....:o
My BIL uses a flat baking tray on top of the pan. Gives you a hot surface to warm the plate or place keep the toast warm... genius, I thought!:)

Wow! Just Wow! I MUST do this! He is indeed a genius! Thanks for sharing, oh I love that feeling of discovering and in turn sharing a new trick!:j:j

superfy_me

I've been trying to make a perfect poached egg for months now and this morning I decided that I was gonna do it no matter what.

I remember that my mum always gives the water a good beating with a whisk before she drops the egg into that, but when I've tried in the past i've ended up with a massive white mess

This morning I followed some instructions that I found online:

-Bring a pan of water to boiling, add a pinch of salt and then turn down to less than a simmer (so the pan just steams, no bubbles)

- Crack the egg in a cup/jug/ramekin (I used a ramekin) and add a drop of vinegar.

- Whisk the water with a whisk until you get a good vortex going, and then immediately lower the egg into the middle, dipping the ramekin a few cm into the water until the egg is out.

-Set a timer for 3 minutes (I added an extra minute because the white felt a bit gooey) and when done, remove with a slotted spoon and drain.

Ta-dah!

I must say, I did manage to make a very very good poached egg - had I stuck to the three minutes it might have been perfect - but the white was set and yolk very runny indeed! Yum! :T

Edinburghlass_2

In my quest for the perfect poached egg I bought some Poachets from Lakeland, sadly they are exclusive to Lakeland at the moment which I think are inordinately expensive.

I saw them on This Morning along with several egg gadgets one of which was this egg separator from Betterware which I was also impressed with if, like me, you don't like handling egg whites.

Anyway, having tried the poach pods, cheap in Morrisons, and the cling film method from the link in this thread, I found the Poachet worked really well and the egg slid out a lot easier than using cling film.

Expensive if used as single use only but I'll try using one again and see how it goes, poached eggs for supper I think

lizzyb1812

I had poached eggs on toast for lunch today - lovely. But for years I wouldn't have them because no matter what I used/tried I couldn't get a good poached egg.

But then I found 2 poach pods for 20p in a charity shop, sprayed a bit of that 1 cal spray inside, put in the boiling water and lid on the pan - 4 mins, soft set white, top of yolk firm but underneath lovely and runny. I get free range eggs quite cheaply from a neighbour who has chickens so eggs on toast made from HM bread is a nice cheap lunch for me.

Having said that, I would not pay £4 - £5 full price for them - and the "lifter" is even more expensive :eek: A slotted spoon works perfectly

Maybe one day I'll master the vortex in the water and a bit of vinegar method - I'll be so proud if I do - but I'm happy that in the meantime a bit of silicone technology is helping me out.

Emuchops

Has anyone tried the cling film method, and oiled the CF first?