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Ever wonder how to make a perfect poached egg without those clunky egg poaching pans?
It's much easier to poach an egg in boiling water than it is to try to use a poaching pan. There is no greasing of the tins or cleaning of the egg tins.
You simply bring at least 3 inches of water to a good steady boil and then turn the burner down to a simmer.
Gently crack the shell, open and let the egg drop as close to the water surface as possible being careful not to burn your hands. Set the timer for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes depending on how well you like your yolk to be set. Leave the egg alone for about 30 seconds and let the rolling of the boil shape your egg into a ball. Then gently take a wooden spoon and work any flailing edges around the egg. By flailing edges, I'm referring to those wispy wing type edges that you see at the top of the above photo. Every egg will get these edges. There are different tips to avoid getting the pieces to not form but I've never found any of them to really work. It's less mess if you just learn to gently roll the edges onto the egg with a wooden spoon.
While the egg poaches you can remove any froth from the water surface with your wooden spoon being careful not to touch the egg. Keeping the water surface clean will give your egg a clean surface to come through when removing it from the water. And it also keeps your water clean in case you want to poach more eggs.
Your egg should look like this. I cook mine for 3 1/2 minutes because I prefer a soft but not runny yolk. Once your timer is up gently remove the egg with a slotted spoon. Using a slotted spoon drains away the water so that when you place the egg on a dish it won't be sitting in a puddle of water.
This is my finished poached egg. Don't expect your first one to come out perfectly. The first day you make them don't plan on serving them to anyone except yourself that way it removes the pressure of trying to get it perfect the first time. Just relax and let the water and the wooden spoon do all the work.
I made a layered salad with lettuce, sauteed mushrooms, sweet onions and asparagus, topped with the poached eggs and feta cheese. I garnished the edges with chilled already peeled shrimp and sliced sugared strawberries. I made a wine sauce in the same pan that I sauteed the mushrooms, onions and asparagus. I then added it to a raspberry vinaigrette dressing and drizzled it over the salad.
None of the photos have been retouched, manipulated or altered in any way. What you see is what you get. Life isn't perfect so I don't want to give the impression that your egg will turn out to look like something that you can never actually achieve. The more you poach eggs the easier it becomes. It's so much easier to drop them in boiling water than it is to use any other method.
