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Are you putting salt in the water? That will break down the white. Use no salt and a little vinegar. As others have said use the freshest eggs you can find. At a simmer for three minutes.
Just don't keep your eggs in the fridge
I like the taste of a little white wine or cider vinegar in my eggs, not a 'taint' at all. As Perchy says, the BnM one is great, but I only use it at work as a timesaver, proper poached eggs in the house.
Fresh eggs, the swirling thing is a no for me, as it means one egg at a time. Who eats one egg?...🤣
The very fresh eggs business is rubbish.
I keep chickens and even ones that have just hit the hay can be bad poachers.
It's just luck of the draw.
cling film and small ramikin - line ramikin with cling film. add salt and pepper and a little butter. crack egg in, lift up edges of cling film and spin so a seal forms.
drop the bag in boiling water. cook for desired time. snip top of cling film and pour our perfect poached egg that doesnt taste of water and vinegar.
just tried the shell on in hot tap water while the pan comes to a boil, and while it was better and the white mainly stayed with the yolk, the eggs didn't form into the compact shape I like. Tasted fine though.
No idea on age of eggs but they are stored at RT.
Jesus, are these eggs to go on Instagram or to be eaten?
Currently eating two, the odd whispy bit makes sod all difference
Start with a Le Creuset pan, add 2 litres of Evian water. Using a digital thermometer, get the water to 98.73c
Crack a freshly laid egg in (must still be warm from the hen), wait 2 minutes 48 seconds and enjoy (preferably with home baked sourdough, smashed avocados (from Waitrose unless you have your own tree) and a sprinkling of Cornish sea salt).
Or just use a microwave (if you're not retired and looking for ways to waste time for little reward).
this morning, I took 3 SUPERMARKET bought eggs out of my fridge.
god knows how long they have been there, I don't rotate eggs on a bought buy date rota.
I then cooked them how I said over the page. I then ate them on SUPERMARKET bought brown bread.
perfect, like always.
poached egg pan, you can do 4 at a time = perfect poached eggs for me
what bread for toasting
You really need it to be as fresh as possible. Probably best if you grow your own, mill your own, grow some seeds as well.
So, in summary, you need to live in a windmill with chickens outside otherwise your poached eggs on toast are a waste of time and you're just letting down your family and everyone you know.
Or, you know, just do what ton says. Works for me and I'm not walking round eternally disappointed with myself.
Vinegar in the water and then I wait for all the water to be boiling like its bouncing and then just crack the eggs in as quick as i can and leave for 4mins. A full kettle amount of water in a pan which fills it about half way and no swirling.
Poach them in left over pasta tomato sauce and bung the lot on a slice of toast.
I find spinning the water into a vortex is helped with the use of a whisk. Can normally crack two into the resulting whirlpool before things slow down. Then off the heat, and for the time it takes the toast to pop.
I'm going to give the egg in water for 20 secs trick a go though!
What speed are you rotating the water at in that vortex though? And how are you measuring that?
You just can't leave this stuff to chance, you amateur!!
My recommended method:
I heat the water to almost boiling add a splash of vinegar, and stir the water clockwise.
Crack the egg, and add to the water, usually 3 minutes in the water.
(note: use a very small pan and don't fill it beyond the depth of a poached egg plus a tiny bit)
McVey has gone. Thats one of my bets in.
And how does she poach her eggs?
Egg poachy pan thing.
Edit - this is not an answer to Perchy. ^^^
Just been to Morrison’s.
12 free range eggs , best date possible chosen.
Sourdough loaf.
Bit of experimentation with all the suggestions, but like the no stirring method and a shallow pan.
What sort of barbarian keeps eggs in the fridge?
Conan?
My dad used to poach eggs in an egg poacher
(eg. £17.99 from [url= https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8374910 ]Argos[/url])
Obviously not middle class enough for you lot.
When popping your egg in the water, do it at the water level gently using a ladle/bowl/mug. That way you keep more of the egg 'together' on it descent.
How is this a discussion?
poached eggs must be touching water - the cling film method surely is just boiled egg in cling film as opposed to shell?
to poach eggs - rolling boil water, egg in shell in water for 10 seconds, crack egg in water, watch until done, slotted spoon out. No vinegar, no salt, no swirling, no fuss, no mess
easy do 6-8 in a pan at once
I love this annual thread for no other reason than loving now STW can over complicate even the simplest task.
My take, saucepan of boiling water, no idea how much, 2/3 full maybe? Bit of table salt in water. Fresher the eggs the better, less fresh means more wispy but still tastes the same. Egg in water, give water a swirl if you want. 2 minutes, maybe 2.5 if they don't look done at 2. Take out with slotted spoon, place on buttered brown toast, add salt and pepper.
What sort of barbarian keeps eggs in the fridge?
me, and have done since being a home owner, 32 years.
My dad used to poach eggs in an egg poacher
(eg. £17.99 from Argos)
Obviously not middle class enough for you lot.
An unnecessary gadget that doesn't poach eggs? No thanks.
Crack a freshly laid egg in (must still be warm from the hen)
Actually fresh eggs aren't that good to poach or boil as the white is too soft.
that doesn’t poach eggs?
Funny how those "gadgets" have been incorrectly named since before you were born eh.
Anyway, I hardly ever eat eggs, so really don't understand how people give so much of a toss about what they're called, how they're cooked etc. jolly weird if you ask me.
When you've cooked it eat it with a splash of soy sauce - thank me later
Success!
Water not boiling, but quite hot.
No vinegar
No stirring
Shallow saucepan
Warm the gg in its shell in the water, not long, 20 seconds.
Break egg inro a shallow ladle.
Carefully lower into the water
3 minutes later remove.
Toast, pepper, gone in 20 seconds.
Repeat.
The trick is it put the whole egg into the water for 20 seconds before you crack it. Take out and then crack it in. The immersion in its shell starts the white off cooking so when you crack it into the water it holds its shape much better…
I'll be trying this over the weekend, Breakfast normally falls to me and while my Poached eggs are normally adequate, there's a few feathery bits, plus I'm not keeping chickens... yet.
I have skipped straight to the bottom of all this but have just had this for lunch
Anyway, get 2 slices of bread toasted already and the grill hot. Get the cheese sliced and ready to go on the toast.
Water at less than boiling, lightly salted and spun up. Crack eggs into water. No more than 2 per pan.
Toast under the grill. The time it takes for the cheese to melt is exactly the right time to poach the eggs. Remove the eggs with a potato masher.
A bit of pepper and you are done.
Funny how those “gadgets” have been incorrectly named since before you were born eh.
Not really. They're sold to people who are unable to poach eggs.
The benefit of keeping your eggs in the fridge is that you get a consistent temperature of 4 degrees and therefore a consistent cooking time.Freshness of the eggs doesn't seem to make much difference.
Vigorous boil in about 10 cm, give it a swirl add a bit of vinegar if you like but it doesn't make that much of a difference, crack in the egg, keep a moderate boil going for 2 minutes 20 take it out with a slotted spoon. eat
Bookmarked
poached eggs at work today, all done in one pan.
Duck eggs only; 10 minutes so no runniness. Throw albumen into bin immediately; enjoy yoke - fabulous!
bruneep how'd you do 8 eggs in one pan without them all turning into one huge poached egg?? or did you do them separately?
They do look nice bruneep. I love poached eggs but no matter which way I try to cook them they all ways come out crap.