When poaching an egg you need to make sure that the eggs you are using are the freshest you could find. Do not attempt to cook by this method if you cannot guarantee the freshness of the eggs as the water will cause the eggs to break egg. For this method of cooking you will need a small, shallow pan, a frying pan is best for this, particularly if you are cooking more than one egg. But, do not attempt to cook too many in one go as each egg needs sufficient room in the pan to cook and if you crowd the pan you could end up with a disaster.
- Step 1: Fill the pan you are using with enough water so that when you put the eggs in they sit just below the waters surface. While the water is heating up you can also add 1 – 2 teaspoons of vinegar but this is entirely optional, the vinegar does help to coagulate the egg white but some people prefer the taste without it.
- Step 2: Break the egg or eggs into a small cup, you can break straight into the pan but this is not advised as the egg sometimes break and using a cup is a good way to stop this from happening.
- Step 3: Bring the water to a gentle simmer carefully pour the egg into the pan. The egg white should immediately cover the yolk, if it doesn’t just give the egg a gentle poke with a spoon.
- Step 4: Allow the egg to cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until the white is set but the yolk is still soft. Alternatively you could cook for 4 – 5 minutes if you prefer your eggs slightly firmer. Also a good idea before you serve the eggs is to baste the top of them with hot water as this will help to make sure they are fully cooked.
- Step 5: Use a slotted spoon or something similar to remove the eggs from the pan and place quickly onto a piece of kitchen towel to soak up any leftover water.
- Step 6: Serve immediately and Enjoy.
Poached eggs go fantastically in a toasted bread roll with a few rashers of bacons. Or for a recipe thats a little different you can also add some Philadelphia cream cheese to the bread roll.
