Perfect poached eggs?

How do you do yours? I got a bit bored of the tailor-made poaching pan with the little individual cups so I searched youtube and found a handy video on how to do poached eggs properly. I can't find it now but it works for me.

It was unbelievably simple and just involved cracking the egg into a small bowl first (I use a soup ladel) and then gently tipping it a deep pan full of just-off-the-boil water into which had previously been added a good dose of salt and vinegar. You then replace the lid and let poach for 2 minutes. As long as the water isn't moving and it has vinegar in (to aid coagulation) they come out excellent.

The whole thing about making a little whirlpool to crack the egg into seems to be a myth.

Can you believe I have NEVER had a poached egg? Yes, it's incredible, but never have I. maybe I should try.....

Usually a quick dip in the skillet scrambled up with some ketchup is as far as I go.

Now, off to wikipedia to find out about this poaching thing.....

How have you never had a poached egg?!
A coddled egg maybe I could believe, but surely everyone's had a poached egg.

Well....I've had a sheltered life!

That's ok...I've got a cookbook, I'm on it!

I will report back!!!!

I've tried the whirlpool technique and all it ever got me was egg drop soup. It's total bunk. I have to confess that I'm not a fan of poached eggs, though. In restaurants I ask for them hard poached and then squeeze out the yolks like zits. I hate yolks, and snot-textured yolks only add an even more repulsive dimension to my loathing. If they're swirled together or something they become edible, but not otherwise.

The beauty of poached eggs is their snottiness. Fried ones too; the yolk must be runny and the white must have a little raw snot on it.

"And bring us some FRESH wine! The freshest you've got - this year! No more of this old stuff"

I poach my hard - I'm not a fan of runny yolk. I just learned how to poach eggs last year. Wrote my a bit of my trial and error here. I haven't done them in a long while though...I think you've inspired me to whip my man up some breakfast tomorrow.

Hi all, LS,

Well...I tried...I swear to you I tried...but waaayyy to runny. Maybe it's having kids, but I had to switch gears and fry some up with some sausage and toast.

I hope you're not too disappointed in me!

I do mine in the microwave. I know it's not the same, but it's quicker. I have a little gadgety thing where you can put 2 eggs in the nuke at once, but you could use a small covered dish as well. They come out perfectly sized and shaped for an English muffin sandwich, which is what I eat most mornings.

Savages the lot of you. I can't believe I'm consorting with heathens that don't like runny yolks.

Coddled eggs anyone? You'd get to collect vintage coddlers then. Ebay is awash with them and coddled eggs are supreme.

Fried egg good, poached egg bad.

Cholesterol be damned!

What's with the camp avatar, Todd. Have you joined a village people tribute band or something?

YMCA

Bitches.
I prefer to think of it as theatrical.

Gotta love it!

Ah fair enough. Still wouldn't advise going out after sundown dressed like that, might find the odd thespian anxious to practice a bit of one on one method acting.

I don't like the taste of eggs at all.

*ducks*

I have taken the time to learn how to scramble, hard boil, coddle and poach, however, and the reviews are good.

I'm with you, Lindy. Eggs are nasty. However, I know I hold a minority opinion, so I *can* cook them if necessary. I do make an exception for the very occasional egg salad tea sandwich (with home made mayonnaise and watercress).

The yolk HAS to be runny. Bursting it and it escaping over the toast is the best bit. I don't really like the white though, unless it's mashed up with the yolk in a cup with butter and salt and black pepper.

The only trick to poached eggs is really, really, really fresh eggs. If they're fresh the white stays in a mass. Soon as they get a bit old the white spreads over the pan. They're better just fried then.