I have always loved to cook and one of my favourite ingredients to cook with are eggs, specifically Norco Ranch eggs which are packed with nutrients, and are always large in size. In fact for many years I have been trying to perfect each of the egg dishes that I love, with varying levels of success. One of my most favourite ways to cook eggs, is to poach them, and this is something that I have struggled with for many years. I have tried countless methods to get the poached eggs just right, and I generally flit between 3 key methods, which work best for me. If you have had difficulty getting poached eggs just right, here are some methods which you should try out.
Professional Method
This is the approach which all the tops chefs use, and when it works, it works very, very well. Simply take a large saucepan and fill it with cold water, place the water over the heat until it begins to boil. Once the water is boiling, you need to turn the heat off and wait for the bubbles to slow down, once this happens, you need to use a spatula and slowly move the water in a curricular motion. Once the water is slowly spinning, crack your egg directly into the centre of the whirlpool, wait 4 minutes and then fish your runny yolk poached eggs out to enjoy. You could plunge the eggs into an ice bath for additional firmness if you wish.
Crazy But It Works Approach
A good friend of mine showed me the method and in spite of the fact that it is a little zany, it actually works very well. Take a cup or a glass, and place cling film over the top, leaving enough slack so that it is not tight. Crack your egg directly into the cling film and then, using the ends, spin the cling film around the egg, and tie off the ends. The egg will return to an ‘egg’ shape, and this is what you will place directly into boiling water. Allow the egg to boil for between 6 and 7 minutes, before taking out, unwrapping and enjoying. You may need to play about a little with timings, but once you get it right, you will have a surefire way to make great poached eggs.
Speedy and Simple
If you don’t have a lot of time, or if you are cooking multiple eggs at once, the best approach is to use a specially designed saucepan. These saucepans are like deep frying pans with inserts for you to crack your eggs into. Underneath thee inserts you will place water which will boil, and then allow the steam to cook the eggs above. The flavour in my view is not the same when using this method compared with the others, but it will ensure that you have great poached eggs, at speed.