The poached egg

We find ourselves poaching eggs two or three times a week. A simple poached egg can be sublime when it’s cooked perfectly.

A little while ago, we decided to road test a number of different approaches to find the holy grail of poaching methods. Cue many pots filled with spidery tendrils of egg white, rock-hard yolks and most of all frustration. We tried the whirlpool technique, adding vinegar, oiled cling wrap, poaching cups and even slow poaching.

Many thwarted attempts later, we tried Heston Blumenthal’s method and success!

This method is so simple and pretty fool-proof. Firstly, fill a pot nearly all the way up with water. The water temperature should be 80°C or 176°F. Enter our nifty Thermapen. The water will be at a bare simmer not a rolling boil.

Heston places a plate upside down in the bottom of the pan so the eggs don’t come into contact with direct heat. We don’t add the upturned plate. It makes it easier to remove the eggs when they are done and we can’t tell any difference in the result.

Strain the eggs before cooking them to get rid of the watery white bits. The fresher the egg the better as the whites will be firmer and less watery. Lower the slotted spoon into the warm water and simultaneously slide/flip the egg into the water. B has mastered this move. This bit isn’t too tricky so don’t worry.

After 4 minutes (for a large egg approx. 58g), remove with a slotted spoon and dab with a paper towel lightly before plating.

I feel this way of poaching eggs is so fantastic that it needs a hurrah. The whites are set but not rubbery and the yolks are deliciously creamy and oozy.