Re: [london.food] Very lazy eggs benedict

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On 30/01/06 10:20 +0000, Nik Clayton wrote:
> Saw a variation of this in a recent magazine, and it works so well that I 
> thought I'd share.
> 
> One of the things I've never been able to cook properly are poached eggs. 
> No matter what I do they never come out as anything other than an 
> illdefined mess.  They don't always taste that bad, but they never look 
> especially appetising.

I actually went through a couple of dozen eggs last autumn
experimenting with different ways of poaching eggs, since I'd always
had a problem with them too.

I even tried every method on this rather good b3ta page:

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

The best method I found was as follows (this works for 2 eggs at a time):

1) add about a tablespoon of vinegar to 3 cups (=~ 750 ml) water in a
medium saucepan. The vinegar helps the eggs to keep their shape in the
water. Once I finish "On Food and Cooking", I may even be able to
explain why...

2) bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat right down (so that
it's below a simmer)

3) break one of the eggs into a mug.

4) tilting the mug at about 45 degrees, dip it into the water so that
it starts flowing over the edge of the cup. Once the egg inside is
suspended in the water, tip gently so that the egg flows into the
saucepan.

5) Repeat for the second egg.

6) Leave for (don't have my notes here, so I'm not sure, but I
think...) 5 minutes, or until the egg white has solidified.

7) Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, allowing as much water as
possible to run off/evaporate.

8) Serve.

You could probably do more eggs at once in more water.

The real key is that the eggs should be as fresh as possible - if you
stole them from a hen's nest whilst waiting for the water to boil, all
the better.


It took a couple of goes to get really happy with this method, but it
works well for me now. And for reasons I don't fully understand, being
able to properly poach an egg is disproportionately impressive to
people. Which is nice...

• (no message)
  • [london.food] Very lazy eggs benedict Nik Clayton 10:20 on 30 Jan 2006
    Saw a variation of this in a recent magazine, and it works so well that I
    • Re: [london.food] Very lazy eggs benedict Simon Batistoni 01:17 on 31 Jan 2006
      I actually went through a couple of dozen eggs last autumn
      • too deep to show
    • RE: [london.food] Very lazy eggs benedict Russell Joanne (ST) 08:40 on 31 Jan 2006
      This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand
      • too deep to show
    • Re: [london.food] Very lazy eggs benedict Simon Wistow 09:40 on 31 Jan 2006
      I was taught a similar trick - get a small coffee cup or a remekin and
      • too deep to show
    • Re: [london.food] Very lazy eggs benedict Rev Simon Rumble 10:06 on 31 Jan 2006
      Wow, I'm really quite amazed that poached eggs could cause such
      • too deep to show
    • Simon Wistow 13:09 on 31 Jan 2006
      See, I know of at least 3 different ways.
      • too deep to show
  • David Turner 10:19 on 31 Jan 2006
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  • Nigel Rantor 10:35 on 31 Jan 2006
    My sister will be gratified to know that there are people less able in
    • [london.food] The cooking challenged (was: Very lazy eggs benedict) Rev Simon Rumble 10:42 on 31 Jan 2006
      Speaking of which, what's a good way to help someone learn how to cook?
      • too deep to show

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