How to poach eggs

I made poached eggs and asparagus recently (now my favorite way to eat asparagus). Boiling the asparagus takes about the same amount of time as poaching the eggs. Serve sprinked with coarse salt and parmesan cheese.

Many people have an irrational fear of making poached eggs. They fear that the eggs will fall apart in the water and create a mess.

Poached eggs will always turn out better if you use the freshest eggs possible. If you begin with old eggs with watery whites and sagging yolks, do not be surprised if they do not hold together well in hot water.

1. Fill a frying pan with about 3 inches of water. It should be just deep enough that an egg can float freely without touching the pan or the surface of the water.
2. Crack the egg into something from which you can slide the egg into the water. A custard cup or even a saucer works well.
3. Heat the water to just below a boil.
-- You do not want the water to actually boil because the bubbles in boiling water will rip apart your delicate eggs. Boiling water is also unnecessary - there is no reason to ever cook an egg at a temperature higher than 184°F. An enlightening article in the February 2006 Discover Magazine explains:

"Ovotransferrin, the first of the egg-white proteins to uncoil, begins to set at around 61 degrees Celsius, or 142°F. Ovalbumin, the most abundant egg-white protein, coagulates at 184°F. Yolk proteins generally fall in between, with most starting to solidify when they approach 158°F. Thus, cooking an egg at 158°F or so should achieve both a firmed-up yolk and still-tender whites, since at that low temperature only some of the egg-white proteins will have coagulated."

(this also means that you can leave an egg in a 158°F oven for hours without the yolk or whites becoming overcooked)
4. Add 1 tsp white vinegar to the water (this helps firm the whites)
5. Add a small amount of salt to the water. Since the amount of water needed to create 3" in depth will vary with the diameter of your pan, the amount of salt varies as well. Start with a very small amount of salt. Then carefully slide the egg into the water. The yolk should sink to the bottom. Now gradually add salt until the yolk just begins to float a little. Use a spatula to make sure the egg is floating rather than sitting on the bottom of the pan.

The amount of salt added is critical. You want to add just enough salt for the egg yolk to acheive neutral buoyancy. Add too little salt, and the egg will sink to the bottom of the pan and stick. Add too much salt, and the yolk will float at the top of the pan, partially sticking into the air (where it cannot be heated by the water). The egg should float in the middle of the water like a benthic jellyfish. You will eventually learn how much salt to use through trial and error.

n.b. Adding salt to the water increases its boiling point -- all the more reason not to boil the water if you do not want your eggs overcooked

Adding the egg. Notice that the water is not boiling

6. Leave the pan over low heat until the yolks are the way you like them, about 3-5 minutes. Runny yolks are best.

These eggs were added to the pan clockwise starting at the lower left.
Ignore the small amount of loose milky liquid that may surround your eggwhites - as long as the main white holds together, you are fine.

7. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon. Top with salt and freshly-grated pepper.

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