How to Cook The Perfect Poached Egg
Eggs are extremely versatile in cooking, being great as the main part of their own dish either fried, poached, boiled, scrambled or soufle’d, or as an acompaniment to others. With little preparation needed, ieast to store, nexpensive and with a good shelf life they are part of most people’s everyday diet. Also a great source of nutrition, including vitamins A and B, 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of healthy fats and containing approximately 80 calories. My favourite way to cook eggs has to be poaching, enjoying the warm runny yolk without adding any additional fats during cooking. Amongst my favourite dishes are with smashed avocado and toast or with bubble and squeak and HP sauce or atop a fresh salad where the yolk acts as a delicious dressing. However, poached eggs can often be the achillies heel for many cooks though by following a few simple tips from ChefGary, anyone should be able to poach eggs perfectly. Enjoy watching our video, read up on our tips and get poaching!!
ChefGary demonstrates how to cook poached eggs, serving with a light salad of asparagus spears, pea shoots, sliced radish, sunflower seeds and olive oil and balsamic dressing
ChefGary’s top tips
Always use fresh free range eggs for a richer more vibrant yolk. I particularly like using duck eggs.
Cook from room temperature
Bring your water to the boil to ensure the egg starts cooking as soon as it hits the water. This helps the egg to form a lovely natural oval shape. Do not over boil as the egg will get pushed around too much and may fall apart. If your water isn’t hot enough then the egg will sink to the bottom of the pan and have a flatter shape
Allow plenty of water so as the overall temperature doesn’t drop when the egg goes in. Equally, don’t cook too many eggs at once.
Crack your egg into a small bowl before placing into the boiling water - this will help avoid getting any shell in the egg and also helps you release the egg into the water more gently, without worrying about scalding your hands
Season you water with a lirttle salt and a splash of vinegar - this helps both flavour and cooking
Place the lid on the pan whilst cooking to help maintain temperature
Your egg should take about two minutes, with the albumen completely white and the yolk warm and runny
When taking your egg out of the water, use a spoon with holes to ensure you don’t take up any water with the egg
Let the egg sit on a seperate plate before adding to your dish to ensure any further excess water runs off
Season with plenty of cracked pepper
Trim away any excess parts of white to help the shape if necessary.
ChefGary specialises in Private Home Dining and promises to deliver an unforgettable and unique experience. We eliminate the stress of planning and preperation leading up to your event, whilst covering the cooking and serving on the day. You’re then able to sit back and relax in your own home environment to enjoy the evening. Whether it be a Private Dinner Party, Bowl Food Concept, ‘Canapes & Bubbles’ or a Gourmet Summer BBQ, we have you covered. Visit our Dinner Party menus here.