How-to's, Recipes, Behind the Scenes
PrintHow to Poach an Egg
Produced by cia_b of Writing With My Mouth Full
The Takeaway
George Weld says:
- Start with cold eggs—they hold together better.
- Use a fairly deep pot.
- Bring the water to just a simmer, and add a little vinegar—about a tablespoon. You can use any kind of vinegar, but you'll probably taste a little bit of it, so use a vinegar you like and that tastes good.
- Lower egg, in a cup, right to the surface of the water and gradually slide it in. The white will immediately set. If you're using a shallower pan, make sure to sweep under the egg with a spoon so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
- If you're cooking a lot of poached eggs, you can drop them into ice water to stop the cooking. When it's time to serve, simply drop them back in the simmering water before plating.
About the Chef
George Weld is a self-taught cook who grew up in Virginia and the Carolinas. He has been cooking eggs since 2004 at his restaurant, Egg, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. In 2005, Egg was named best breakfast in New York by New York magazine and has been featured or reviewed in the New York Times, the New York Daily News, Japan's Title magazine, and Charleston magazine.
Egg's address is 135A North 5th Street, Brooklyn NY 11211; 718-302-5151. It is open 7 a.m. to noon weekdays, 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. weekends.
About the Video Folks
cia_b is a Filipino New Yorker who writes with her mouth full at writingwithmymouthfull.com.
When not dealing with scut as a medical intern, Stan Kang flexes his one creative muscle by making still and moving images.
More in this series: How to Make a Rolled Omelet, How to Scramble Eggs
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8 Comments:
That is exactly how I like my poached egg cooked---very runny yolk!
JEP at 6:28PM on 04/30/07
I've never been able to poach an egg properly. Just tried this and it worked perfectly. Can't wait to make Eggs Benedict this weekend.
slogger at 5:36PM on 05/01/07
oh, so good. i can only eat poached, boiled or scrambled eggs and I have long been a connoisseur of egg poaching techniques. fantastic!
B
Hand to Mouth
Making Stock of the Situation
A blog for the penniless gourmet
handtomouth at 5:44PM on 07/31/07
I can't believe how easy this was! I am eating them right now, yum! I see alot more poached eggs in my future :-)
pirick at 10:21AM on 08/06/07
Does the vinegar serve some technical purpose?
Kevitivity at 3:44AM on 09/29/07
Kevitivity-
Yes, the vinegar helps coagulate the white, so it hangs on to the yolk instead of forming 'strings' & drifting off into the poaching liquid before it has a chance to set
Lilla at 1:32PM on 10/08/07
all good but i do find that the easiest way for draining the water is to remove egg and place it on a piece of bread that you won't be eating. it soaks the extra water right up and then you can plate, put on toast etc....
spunbird at 4:22PM on 11/05/07
all good but i do find that the easiest way for draining the water is to remove egg and place it on a piece of bread that you won't be eating. it soaks the extra water right up and then you can plate, put on toast etc....
spunbird at 4:24PM on 11/05/07