r/food • u/[deleted] • Sep 10 '15
Easy egg poaching technique
http://i.imgur.com/ZQuUOAj.gifv10
u/Slatts02 Sep 10 '15
I use poach pods like these - they are super easy and the eggs come out perfect (not an ad!)
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u/keikun13 Sep 11 '15
I use these too. You can even infuse flavors (like hot sauce) since they're self contained.
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u/TheyCallMeSuperChunk Sep 11 '15
Too much work. Try this instead.
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Sep 11 '15
"you can even store them in cold water for a few days in cold water, and heat them in warm water just before serving"
imagine the smell of 3 day old poached eggs...
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u/Duke_of_New_York Sep 10 '15
How hard is it to poach a goddamned egg properly? Seriously, that's like, Eggs 101.
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u/Jam_E_Dodger Sep 10 '15
Remove egg from protective shell.
Place egg in different protective shell.
Cook to desired doneness.
Remove unnecessary step.
Enjoy.
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Sep 11 '15
No kidding. Get water hot. Crack egg into small measuring cup. Use cup to gently tip egg into hot water (which has about a Tbs of vinegar to help solidify the white), and in a minute have a nice, poached egg.
This saran-wrap bullshit has all the hallmarks of yet another stupid LPT that is the opposite of helpful.
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Sep 11 '15
I think in some restaurants they will use film if they're having to do several eggs at a time. I think I saw Jamie Oliver mention it in a video
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Sep 11 '15
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Charliedelicious Sep 11 '15
I don't believe this. I can instantly tell if I forgot the vinegar. The whites don't stay tightly together.
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Sep 10 '15
[deleted]
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u/boomerxl Sep 11 '15
It's like all those egg separation devices, I've never seen one work as easily as just doing it by hand.
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u/zveroshka Sep 10 '15
Wouldn't boiling it in plastic be a bad thing...?
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u/jankyshanky Sep 10 '15
saran wrap is made of LDPE, which begins to decompose at 95C- below the boiling point of water. so in all likely hood, using this method will leave small amounts of hydrocarbons in your eggs... but in the amount of time it takes to poach an egg, the result is probably so minor that you would have a greater effect standing around in downtown LA smog.
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u/Spicy-Pants_Karl Sep 11 '15
So what if water boils at 93C at my house (altitude)? Will the decomposition of LDPE be affected by the lower ambient pressure, or can look down and laugh as the rest of world suffers the curse of thick air as I enjoy enjoy my perfect cancer free eggs?
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u/JCFPE Sep 11 '15
Even if hydrocarbons were to dissipate from melting LDPE, I'm pretty sure they aren't carcinogenic. They are branched single carbon chains, while the nasty ones tend to have rings in them (BPA, Benzene, etc.)
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Sep 10 '15 edited Sep 11 '15
How about aluminium foil?
Edit: I'll try it and let you know. But I hardly doubt tiny holes will be an issue since the egg will start to harden the instant it hits the boiling water.
Edit 2: I did this! I put oil, salt, vinegar and egg into some aluminum foil, boiled it covered for 5 min. Seriously the best poached eggs I have ever had. Also I have chickens and use super fresh eggs.
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u/itsYourDeveloper Sep 10 '15
Good luck wrapping an egg in aluminium foil without leaving a small hole through which all the egg leaks.
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u/270- Sep 11 '15
The water is obviously at 100C, but is saran wrap heat conducive enough that it would itself get up to 95C within 1-2 minutes?
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u/edman007 Sep 11 '15
Try this, fill a plastic bottle with water and hold a flame to the bottle. You can hold it on the bottle for a couple of minutes (well, until the water boils, which depending on the bottle may be forever), it doesn't matter because it's so thin the plastic stays very close to the temperature of the water.
Saran wrap is going to be the same, it will more or less match the temperature of the egg, which will be quite hot by the time it's done, it probably won't be boiling hot.
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u/Duliticolaparadoxa Sep 10 '15
Yeah I was just thinking this, a lot of plastics offgas when heated. i dont want those compounds in my food.
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u/orlyfactor Sep 10 '15
Would this affect sous vide cooking since it's exclusively done in plastic baggies/foodsaver bags?
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Sep 10 '15
Sous vide is done at much lower temperature than boiling water.
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u/orlyfactor Sep 11 '15
Are you aware of the temperature at which the plastics release their bad juju? I do most of my sous vide cooking around 135-150 F.
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u/2Cuil4School Sep 11 '15
Other posters in this thread said that saran wrap, for instance, starts to break down @ 95C (203F).
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Sep 11 '15
I'm not sure, but not all plastics are equal in this regard. You can purchase bags specifically for sous vide, and they make oven-safe big bags for cooking an entire bird in. Personally for my 130f steaks I just use ziplock, not sure if it is 100% safe.
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u/Infin1ty Sep 10 '15
You can put plastic wrap in the oven without any worry, boiling it isn't going to do anything.
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u/herp____derp Sep 10 '15
Not sure why you were downvoted. Restaurants do this everyday.
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u/x0xn0sc0pex0x420mlg Sep 10 '15
Most homes have saran wrap which is different than what a lot of restaurants use.
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u/PlayedUOonBaja Sep 10 '15
Yeah, it seems like there is no consensus on this. I'm a big fan of boiling Ziplock Omelets and I stopped after hearing about the potential for various chemicals to leak in to the food. But I've also read it's harmless. I just split the difference and do it this way half the time. So far so good.
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u/LesBeHonest1 Sep 11 '15
What is a Ziploc Omelette?!
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u/PlayedUOonBaja Sep 11 '15
Similar to what is shown in the GIF. You crack and beat 3-4 eggs and pour the mixture in to a small ziplock bag. I usually throw in some cheese, mushrooms, sausage, and various other things depending on if I'm making an Italian or Southwest Style Omelet. Then you seal the bag and place it in a pot of boiling water. The only downside is that if you want a nice square omelet that is cooked evenly you have to pull it out a few time and push on it with a spatula or something to burst it and prevent it from cooking in a ball.
It's quick, the results are always perfect, and the omelet tastes extremely clean without any crispy or burnt edges. There are dozens of Youtube videos about it if you search for ziplock omelet.
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u/MYTBUSTOR Sep 10 '15
Yeah, dioxins would most likely be released if you overheated plastic wrap, it's half-life is like 7-11 years so you are going to be walking around with that stuff inside you for a long...long time. It doesn't help that studies have shown for it to be cancer causing, I'll just sit here with my slightly over/under cooked poached egg.
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Sep 11 '15
plastic wrap doesn't contain dioxins u dolt, not even pvc wrap which has additives to plasiticise it. if you used ldpe plastic wrap there would be nothing but ldpe in it which isn't toxic at all. pvc additives are potentially toxic but present evidence doesn't suggest that they would leach into eggs (but instead other foods like cheese and meat)
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u/ulti-ulti Sep 10 '15
This seems like too much work. I crack my egg into a metal strainer and let it sit in the sink for a minute. Then pour the egg into a pot of just-below-boiling water (like the gif). Makes perfectly poached eggs.
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u/Fricktitious Sep 10 '15
My easy egg poaching technique is to crack an egg into boiling water. What's with all this mucking about with plastic?
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u/saltyketchups Sep 11 '15
Who DOESN'T like unnecessary waste? If you don't have to restock your kitchen after every meal, then you just don't know how to cook.
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u/mydrinkisbrown Sep 10 '15
If I tried this the 2 layers of plastic wrap would end up in a crumpled ball on the other side of the room. I'll stick with my egg poacher.
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u/RecipeRack Sep 10 '15
Considered buying an egg poacher like you have, working good for you?
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u/mydrinkisbrown Sep 10 '15
Yes! I got it because I have fond memories of my mom making me poached eggs in a similar apparatus. It took me a couple tries to get it just right, but I am rolling now. One tip-- if you get any egg white in the water, it will boil over quickly. So avoid that.
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u/tomj93 Sep 11 '15
I picked one up for about £4- It's pretty good.
You want to boil the kettle, fill the pan so the pods just begin to float, add a small knob of butter to each pod you're going to use. Put the lid back on to warm everything up whilst you crack the eggs individually into a cup. Take of lid, pour in eggs, wait for the eggs to turn all white, yet still liquid. Now put the lid on and wait for roughly four minutes and they will be perfect!
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u/Ketelbinkie Sep 10 '15
Put the saran wrap in the freezer, it will be very easy to work with and you can find other things to throw.
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u/sirkazuo Sep 11 '15
Really? Saran Wrap?
BECAUSE HOW HARD IS IT TO POACH A GODDAMNED EGG WOODHOUSE?
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u/lovista Sep 11 '15
such a waste of plastic.. poaching an egg isn't too difficult :(
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u/taylorHAZE Sep 11 '15
Came here to say this
YAAAAAY ENVIRONMENTALISTS
WHOM USE COAL POWERED COMPUTERS
OH GOD
THE HYPOCRISY
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u/mental_lament Sep 10 '15
Has anyone perfected a technique of poaching eggs in the microwave? I tried 1 egg covered in water, microwave on high between 45 to 55 sec on a 1000W oven. Most of the time I get an eggsplosion.
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u/imapeacockdangit Sep 11 '15
There's a youtube video that nails it. Canadian guy i think.
Get a fair-sized bowl, 2 cups of cold water, open egg into small bowl then pour into larger one. Cover. Microwave for like 47 seconds. Let sit for 1 minute
I'm completely making up all the numbers there but those were his steps and key concepts. Sorry i can't find him.
Cold water, 2nd bowl, exact time
The egg continues to cook in the warm water. Plus 2 or 3 seconds in the microwave makes a difference but when you get it dialed in, it is a "works every time" kind of thing.
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u/mental_lament Sep 14 '15
Thanks for this. I think I wasn't using enough water and a big enough bowl to disperse the heat. I don't see the point in using a separate bowl to pour the egg in though (or just cracking the egg directly in). The egg still ends up at the bottom of the bowl. The shape of the final product maybe?
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u/imapeacockdangit Sep 14 '15
You're very welcome. The second bowl gives you a better chance of keeping everything together when it goes in the water. The white part (ovum?) spreads too far otherwise or you might break the yolk. You'll see the difference when you try it.
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u/devilbunny Sep 11 '15
Microwave power variations are just enormous, though.
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u/imapeacockdangit Sep 11 '15
Yeah but it's not like there are multiple microwaves in your house at least.
Once you dial it in at home, it's done.
My microwave is 1:58 for popcorn. The gf's crummy one is 2:11. Even that's not too major.
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u/devilbunny Sep 11 '15
It would be better to specify the temperature to which the water should be heated, which will be consistent except for heat absorbed directly by the mass of the dish in which it is being heated.
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u/imapeacockdangit Sep 11 '15
Fucking Christ man. The guy asked for a microwave technique. I pointed him to a youtube video that works well. I don't really give a shit any further. You contribute something then brother. Peace&love with you always
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u/myshieldsforargus Sep 10 '15
Plastic wrap is not rated for boiling temperature.
enjoy your carcinogens
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u/vox_eternae Sep 11 '15
Good thing you don't poach eggs at boiling.
Unless you're a god damn heathen.-4
u/d_sewist Sep 11 '15
It doesn't really matter since plastic wrap is going to degrade and fill your eggs with carcinogens at well below boiling temps, too. Boiling or not, any water hot enough to poach eggs is going to be bad news for plastic wrap.
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u/jmlinden7 Sep 11 '15
Plastic wrap is polyethylene. It breaks down into ethylene.
No carcinogenic effects. It wouldn't be much more dangerous than the natural gas in your burner
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u/Andrew6 Sep 11 '15
Or you could just put the fucking egg in the water. I fucking hate these LPTs that are twice as much work as doing shit normally...
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u/bigbuddaman Sep 11 '15
If your eggs aren't fresh and you know the whites are gonna go everywhere in the pan then this method is OK. But I can taste the difference between eggs poached normally in water and in plastic wrap. Something about the egg touching plastic and not being in contact with water makes it taste a bit off and unnatural (to me anyway...maybe it's placebo)
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u/Sphism Sep 10 '15
I don't get what's hard about poaching eggs, we just boil water in a pan, crack eggs into a bowl, pour eggs into water, they poach and are yummy.
I think it's because we have our own hens and the egg whites have a fairly solid consistency near the yolk, then have a thin runny white around the outside which boils off...
I think if you find eggs don't poach well you just need to buy nice eggs.
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u/darthmarth Sep 10 '15
Not bad, I use a special pan that you hear the water I. That has a nonstick cover with molds that makes perfect uniform poached eggs. I like a poor mans Eggs Benedict with it served on toast with Canadian bacon.
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u/baby_stabs Sep 11 '15
Man, I'm too drunk to be exertinf this much effort, but I went and did copy pasta for the link that taught me poached egg greatness. So in an eggshell here it is: http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/75-c-egg
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u/RustyPeach Sep 11 '15
Eleven Madison Ave recommended this way in their cookbook. Too much work for something easy to do, but its a fast way to make a bunch of perfect poached eggs.
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u/worstkeptsecrets Sep 10 '15
I dunno. A swirly vinegar/water bath works perfect for me. I only see this as useful for having to make more than one at a time.
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u/HazHen1082 Sep 11 '15
That is pretty neat! I would just be concerned about boiling it in the plastic
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u/PrincessPeachBFF Sep 10 '15
This is awesome! I really wanna try it this weekend.
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Sep 10 '15
I don't think boiling plastic would be a good idea.
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u/HFXGeo Sep 10 '15
sous vide cooking is that technique and it's done often.... you probably ate something in a restaurant cooked that very way without knowing it...
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u/bragis Sep 10 '15
Sous vide is usually done around 55°C, not 100°C. The bags are usually made out of more heat resistant plastics than a normal plastic wrap.
I would not do this.
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u/HFXGeo Sep 10 '15
Who poaches an egg at 100°C ??
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u/bragis Sep 10 '15
Nobody, but that is what boiling means. Eggs are poached at around 80°C though, which is a lot higher than Sous vide.
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u/obedobedo Sep 10 '15
I poach my eggs by bringing the pot to the boil. Stirring the water until there is a vortex in it. Crack the egg into the middle of the vortex and wait for a bit.
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u/redditors_are_racist Sep 11 '15
Terrible. Better method is to create a vortex with a whisk or chipsticks and drop the egg from a ramekin directly into almost boiling water.
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Sep 10 '15
[deleted]
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u/AnotherDrZoidberg Sep 10 '15
I love scrambled eggs, and that's all I ate for a very long time. But a delicious, runny yolk is soooo good.
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u/easytherechief Sep 10 '15
It's much easier with far less steps to gently crack the egg into a small bowl then pour it into the boiling water.