Poached Perfection

Well, I went and did it. I wanted to try poaching eggs to see what all the fuss was about. How hard could it be really? Turns out if you have the super secret weapon you'll do just fine. I love it because it gives me a way to make eggs without having to add butter or oil into the mix but, still gives me the ability to sop up a mush middle with my remaining bits of toast or english muffin.

I asked my 9 year old if he'd like to learn how to make poached eggs. He got wide eyed, looked at me and with great concern said, "You mean you unlawfully took eggs from the store?!?"

Um, no. The word poached must sound too rebellious for him. I'll let him stick to scrambled for now.

If you'd like to join me on the wild side here's what you'll need:
sauce pot
slotted spoon
pyrex
timer
whole raw egg (duh)
water
vinegar (any kind should do as I've used rice wine and cider with the same results, cider is just smellier)
salt & pepper to taste


Fill the pot 1/2 way with water. Set to high. You're looking for the water to begin to boil. Not the rolling kind but, the kind where the bubbles are starting to get bigger. This is key.

Add approx. 1T of vinegar to the water. This is the super secret ingredient. Granted, it's not secret anymore. Might not have been before. I might have been the only one to not know about it. Apparently, the vinegar is what keeps the egg together and prevents it from floating all over the water (think how much a fried egg expands on a griddle but picture it doing that in water).

For better results with the eggs I always crack them into a container first. For one thing, I know if the egg is grody but, it also allows for more control when pouring it into the water.

Once the egg is in the water set your timer for 4 minutes. Leave the pan on the burner but TURN THE HEAT OFF. My stove is electric. The residual heat does it's job and finishes cooking the egg to perfection.

Your lid might get steamy making it hard to see the deliciousness cooking but, resist all temptation to peek! The egg needs the heat. Just trust in the magic.

I use a slotted spoon because I don't like all the water that comes with scooping the egg up. I also don't have a super perfect looking egg. I was impatient. I cooked two eggs at once. I also thought I heard the baby stirring so in great haste might have put the eggs in 15 seconds too soon. Oh well. They still tasted delicious, were perfectly cooked. The only problem is that crack on the left side. You see it, I know. I'm not ashamed.