..where teens can learn to cook restaurant quality meals for the family
The perfect poached eggs
No one has the right to consider themselves the best chef in the family until they can master how to cook the 'perfect' poached egg.And when you do, and serve it up, people will gasp in awe at your skills. Because not many adults can do this well. And yet, it's not that difficult. So, you're going to learn to master this. And you'll have it for the rest of your life.It will also teach a few things that will help you understand more about cooking in general. So it's a really worthwhile thing to put your attention and time to getting right. And it'll be the 'perfect' poached egg because you're going to practice until you get them exactly how you like them. (Don't ever let anyone tell you what 'perfect' food is for you! That's your opinion.)
OK, if a job’s worth doing it’s worth doing properly. You’re going to become the best egg poacher in town, and fast!
Be prepared to experiment, expect a few goes before getting there, and think about what you’re doing and what you’re learning and you’ll get there even faster.
Some things to know about the perfect poached eggs:
- they’re ‘perfect’ when you say they are. Keep practicing until you’re happy they’re ‘perfect’ for you
- One major ‘secret’ is get the freshest eggs you can. Bought very recently. Older eggs are better for scrambling, frying or hard boiling. You’re poaching. So get FRESH.
- Practice cooking as few eggs as possible at a time (two is great, then when confident go to 4, then more!)
- Eggs keep cooking in their own warmth when you remove them from heat! For that reason, they can harden more than you expect. If you want runny yolks, then get them mostly done, but not fully. Knowing that as you serve them up, they’ll finish themselves off!
- The magic trick in this is using the vinegar. Why? Because the vinegar helps the eggs coagulate fast (which means they hold together in one piece in the water). This is what creates the perfect poached egg shape. If you want to prove it to yourself, try the recipe without vinegar and see what happens.
- Learn to crack eggs well. You want unbroken yolks, no shell, and clean hands! So practice. Best to tap them gently against the flat counter top. Then, pull them apart carefully, making sure your thumbs don’t break the yolk inside. Pull them apart cleanly. You might break a few to start with, and that’s the learning bit. After that you’ll crack ’em perfectly.
- Some people add salt to the water. That does two things – it makes water reach boiling point faster, and adds a little flavour. But we’re boiling in the kettle here and can add salt to taste once served. So it’s not needed whilst cooking.
Equipment
- 1 kettle
- 1 saucepan and lid as small as possible but so that it fits your eggs in next to each other
- 1 measuring jug
- 1 egg lifter or slotted spoon
- 2 mugs or small bowls
Ingredients
- As FRESH as possible eggs As many as you're doing for everyone. But the fewer you do, the better they'll turn out!How many eggs are you cooking?If 1-4, set the red button above to '1x'
If 5-8 set it to '2x'
If 9-12 set it to '3x' (who's cooking 12 eggs?? You need a long hard look at your life..)
- 0.5 tbsp white vinegar (or other vinegar is ok too)
- 0.5 litres water Important: what's more important than the volume of water is that it COVERS your eggs when you put them in! The volume of water is just a guide.
Instructions
- Wash and dry your hands thoroughly
- Gather all your equipment
- Empty your kettle. Then measure out your 0.5 litres water and pour it into the kettle. Turn it on to boil.
- Put the saucepan on the stove on a medium sized burner
- Measure out your 0.5 tbsp white vinegar (or other vinegar is ok too) and pour into the saucepan
- Crack an egg into one of the mugs then repeat with another egg and mug (if you're doing 2 or more)
- When the kettle has boiled pour the water into the pan with the vinegar
- Turn the stove on high
- Wait until you see tiny bubbles appear in the water (it's beginning to boil)
- Crack the rest of the eggs into the water. If shell accidentally goes in, stop cooking – you’re now going fishing. (Cooking teaches you everything!) Turn the heat off and remove using a spoon, slotted spoon, or mesh strainer
- When you’re clear of shell, turn the heat back on high
- Pour your eggs that are in the mugs into the water
- Put the lid on the saucepan. You want it to trap the heat
- Set a timer for one minute. You’re going to cook these eggs in the boiling water for one minute. Ensure that it is one minute in the bubbling water and not in water that's cooled down too much! The eggs should take shape and begin to turn white
- When one minute is up and the timer goes off, turn the heat fully OFF and DO NOT lift the lid off!
- We’re going to let the eggs poach gently now in the heat of the water. This is a great way to poach eggs in a controlled manner so that they are cooked to your liking. We’re aiming for cooked white and beautiful runny yolks! Obviously, if you want harder yolks, you can extend the cooking time. So read on and do it to suit yourself. For runny yolks, set an alarm for 3 minutes. When it goes off…
- …remove the lid, and carefully lift an egg out with your egg lifter or slotted spoon. Hold it high enough to examine and check if the white is mostly cooked (not runny, slimy or transparent!) If it isn’t solid white, lower it back in. If it is cooked, skip the next 2 instructions!
- Put the lid back on and set the alarm for another 1 minute
- Repeat the above two steps until the egg does look nearly fully cooked, being careful not to damage the eggs
- Once you lift an egg out that looks like the white is almost fully solid, you’ll want to get all the eggs out of that saucepan as fast as you can! They’re ready to serve up and the yolks should be runny.But two important things:1. Eggs keep cooking in their own warmth once you serve them up! This is why we want them out when they’re almost but not fully done. Remember this.2. You don’t want to serve WET eggs! You want them nice and dry. But thanks to physics, the water will evaporate off of them if you give it a chance BUT give them a few seconds to drain as you lift them out the water! A little shake can help. If they're still too wet, you can try dabbing them gently with some kitchen towel, or even place them on some kitchen town to drain. Just get that water off – especially if you’re about to serve them on toast!
- Serve them up! Crack a decent amount of black pepper over them (enough to suit each person) and don't forget to add a pinch of salt to each. These alone on buttered toast are amazing. Add a sliced avocado and a bed of green salad leaves to put the eggs on, and you're going to impress.
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