So, it's safe to say, this video recipe was truly "by popular demand." And by "demand" I mean constant harassment, and good-natured threats, or at least I hope they were good-natured. The lesson here is to never promise anyone anything.
In related news: I'm not saying exactly when, only that it will be in the future, but the breakfast I used as a destination for my poached eggs will also be turned into its own video recipe for a sort of hollandaise-less eggs Benedict, so stay tuned for that.
Anyway, this is fairly straightforward stuff, except for the fact that the really, really fresh eggs I bought to show how amazingly well they hold together in the hot water, were anything but. As you'll see, they spread out faster that a group of food bloggers in a free grand tasting tent. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
For 2 quarts of water
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
31 comments:
That yoke pop was slightly inappropriate....
for me this is much healthier than do it fry it in oil.
Finally visited the lady down the road who keeps chickens & goats. The eggs are gorgeous! Gotta try this! And thanks - now I know it wasn't my technique that put me off this so long ago: it was the grocery store eggs!
Now I want breakfast and it's almost midnight. Thanks Chef John!
You just convinced me to pull eggs and salmon out of fridge and have a breakfast at 1am
That looks delicious. Very entertaining video - despite the old eggs! Enjoyed it.
Basia said: "Finally visited the lady down the road who keeps chickens & goats. The eggs are gorgeous!"
-Never had a goat egg, myself...
Hi - I was recently informed by an eight year old scout that to poach an egg it should be boiled , from ROOM TEMP, for 20 secs then poached with the same method as Chef John - IT WORKS, beautiful every time, no matter the freshness of the egg so far...Try it too. jbscot99 from France
@bdwilcox Wow - sad. You sure are missing out!
Hi Chef - Thanks for the instruction! Question however--why no swirly-swirl of the water when you put in the egg? Thought that water swirly was needed to help keep the egg more 'together'.
I cheat and use an egg poaching tray they look and taste great.
If you first crack the egg into a large perforated spoon, the loose "fly-away" white drains off. It makes poaching much less messy. Thanks, Harold McGee!
I've been wanting to try several recipes that call for poached eggs from the recipe club to which I belong, but I've always been so intimidated by the whole poaching egg process, but your video has given me the courage to give it a go. Thanks!
Virginia
I love when your videos deal with a realistic kitchen... we all have days where we just ran out of the perfect ingredient but your focus on the technique really inspires confidence. Keep up the great blogging!
Fufu, now I know... :)
Hmm but what about those who hate the white vinegar taste?
A simple trick: before you put the egg in the water, use a spoon to swirl the water to form a gentle whirlpool. Then pour the egg right in the center. The egg will remain together in the center and poach nicely - this will even help prevent older eggs from having their whites spread like in the video.
that works for one egg....then what?
Chef, this is about a much earlier recipe. I've been staring at your pie crust in envy and despair for weeks. How do you get it so perfect?
Qn1: How long and at what temp do you bake for.
Qn2: do you use a pie shield? My crusts keep getting burned.
Qn3: Where do you place the pie plate. My bottom crust always seems uncooked.
Thanks. I'm quickly becoming addicted to your videos. Gonna try the blueberry muffins tonight.
Really, John, where are you getting your eggs? Next time you're planning to put a basic egg technique on film for posterity, for all time, would you please come and talk to me first? My chickens are at the ready.
I promise the next time I do an eggs video, your hens will be the first to know. ;-) Thanks!
Anon,
Depends on the pie. All my pie videos give times, so you'll have to check there. I dont use a shield. I place in middle of oven. Enjoy!
Beautiful demo Chef, and you made me feel terrible for the times i've given up and switched to a frying pan on account of my eggs (a lesser chef indeed...). Thanks for another hugely helpful video!
p.s. a benedict without hollandaise is an affront to the culinary gods!
when i see poaching egg suddenly i got ungry it seemed like that nice recipe........
I tried this this morning for Father's Day. Water was barely bubbling.... but after 6 minutes eggs were hard boiled. Luckily I had more eggs and the next batch took about 3 minutes. I tried to replicate what you did by toasting an English muffin, spread some butter/dill on top, then salmon then the egg.
Look forward to the instructions to see how I SHOULD have made this! It sure was a hit "my" way!!
I have found that when forced to use eggs of unknown freshness, increasing the amount of vinegar in the water holds them together fine. The acidity affects the surface tension of the water.
Make sure to dip the finished egg in another container of water to rid them of any vinegar taste (I use Apple Cider vinegar).
Another way to test for doneness is the jiggle test. Lift an egg onto a slotted spoon and jiggle it. If the White jiggles around the yolk it is not done.
1:38 am and I feel like poaching eggs now! You're too good :D
We only get cold storage eggs shipped (flown?) from the Mainland to us out here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, so I'm pretty sure my egg whites will be just like the video. Thanks for showing that even old eggs can be poached!!
Julia Childs tip. Poke a hole on the top of the egg with a small needle and let it boil for a few seconds. Than take it out and crack the egg in your poach water. Perfect every time.
I've had success at making poached eggs using this recipe. However every time I make it, the egg tends to stick onto the bottom regardless of its age and method of placing the egg in.
Any ideas why or how it can be prevented?
I learned several years ago from Chef Wylie Dufresne
To drain the excess white from the eggs before poaching in acid ulster water. Make for beautiful poached eggs. The older the egg the more of the loose thin egg white there is.
I also learned that for a soft boiled egg you can peel can be had by adding baking soda to the water. Changes the pH of the water and the shell will come off so you can make a beautiful presentation with a soft cooked egg. Or just to make it easier to hard cook fresh eggs.
Terry
So... I just followed this recipe - exactly as Chef John demonstrated - for 25 people. I cooked the eggs (2 minutes, 30 seconds) the day before and dropped them in boiling water for 1 minute prior to serving. Every egg (except the one that I broke.....) was perfect.... Hard to argue with perfection.
Post a Comment