Poached Eggs

I don't know if it's because I've grown old or whether it's because I never had them really cooked well as a kid, but I have become very fond of eggs, in particular poached eggs. Paradoxically, they seem to be quite simple and yet very complex. When you eat a well-poached egg, it feels, looks, and tastes like it's been stripped down to its very earthy essentials, but to prepare a well-poached egg is difficult. There are all sorts of recipes and strategies and I've tried them all, from swirling to cooking them in little silicone "sail boats." I recently found what I consider to be the best method so far in Cook's Illustrated magazine.

Probably the strangest thing you do is the first step. You crack the egg open in a colander. It sounds so strange, and yet it works. According to the Cook's Illustrated article there are two kinds of egg white in an egg. There's the thinner white that turns to a thready mass when poached and the thicker stuff that surrounds the egg yolk. It's that thin stuff you get rid of when you put the egg in a colander. The article also indicated that fresher eggs have more of the thick egg white and less of the thin stuff. And seriously, if you've ever tried to poach an egg before, it is that thready stuff that makes it almost unappetizing.

The next thing you do is boil a pot of water. That's not too tough. Then once the water is boiling, you add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and a teaspoon of salt. I know you're curling your lips thinking about the vinegar in with the eggs, but you smell it in the process, but you don't taste it. The purpose of the vinegar and salt is to change the pH of the water which helps cook the whites while not overcooking the yolk. It's so funny to see the chemical reaction when you add the vinegar to the boiling water. I had never seen that before with water. It's very cool.

Once the salt and vinegar are added, you gently pour 1-2 eggs in, cover and remove from the heat. It only takes 3-4 minutes to cook. Then use a slotted spoon to catch the eggs and enjoy. Poached eggs on toast is wonderful when you're not feeling the best, but I love them anytime. I also like to use poached eggs on a salad, especially a steak salad. Who needs fattening, processed dressings when you've got a runny egg!?!