It’s late in the day and I didn’t have an idea for a blog post. To the rescue comes my good friend Stuart Langridge with this request for advice…
Reading about poached eggs for breakfast, and there appear to be many holy wars over whether the water should be spinning in a whirlpool, whether there should be vinegar, whether to put the eggs in ramekins first. Are these things superstitions or real? Your advice is sought.
— Stuart Langridge (@sil) March 10, 2021
I explained in a reply how I do mine, but thought I’d take this as an opportunity to expand my published “recipes”.
Ingredients
- N eggs (where N = 1 egg per person or 2 if you’re quite hungry)
- A shallow pan
- Muffins
- Water
- Tongs
- A flat fish slice or slotted spoon
- A good toaster
Method
Slice your muffins and place in your excellent toaster. Don’t start the toaster yet though.
Put enough water in the pan which would just cover a poaching egg, and bring to the boil. This photograph is boiling water, not molten plastic as it appears!
Turn off the heat.
Grab the egg and gently place it in the hot water. Roll the egg around for around 20-30 seconds. This can be a little flexible depending on the egg size. Larger -> Longer. But not too long as you don’t want to fully boil the egg.
Remove the egg from the water with the tongs.
Crack the egg back into the pan of hot water, and turn the heat back on to medium. The egg should have relatively good structural integrity thanks to the parboil.
Toast your muffins now! When done, remove the muffins from the toaster and butter them, or don’t, your choice.
When the egg is ready(*), remove with a fish slice and place on the muffin. Add salt & pepper to taste, or hollandaise if you’re feeling decadent.
(*) Okay, “When it’s ready” is a rather nebulous phrase. Thing is, everyone likes their eggs done differently. Some like them well-done, others like them so the white looks like cooked snot. Each to their own. I find if I lift it out of the water and poke it with my finger, and it “feels” the way I like it to feel on the plate, it’s done. If it’s underdone, lower it back in. 3-4 mins seems about right, which gives you time to toast and butter the muffins. See, that’s why that step is there? :D
Settle down with a cup of your favourite brew and consume the egg(s).
Thanks Stuart. Blog drought narrowly averted!