Eggs again

[beale]

Has anyone got tips on how to poach them? Whenever I try they just turn into eggy ghosts floating around in the water.

[WoWo]

You need a couple of drops of vineger, then when the water is ready and your about to put the egg in, use a spoon to swirl the water in one direction, fairly fast, then drop the egg in the middle. This should have the effect of keeping the egg together for long enough to firm up and for a fairly solid shape. I also think the eggs need to be cold, i.e. straight from the fridge rather than getting them out before you start to get the water up to temprature.

[ludwig]

You can get egg poachers where the egg sits in a little cup and basically steams above the water without floating in it. If you don't want to buy one of those here's a tip I saw on a cookery show once. When the water in the pan is at poaching temperature, stir it round with a spoon until you get a nice big whirlpool in the middle, then drop the egg into the middle of the whirlpool. This keeps the egg held together in a nice circular shape for a few seconds - just enough for it to soldify enough to hold that shape when the whirlpool dies down. Et Voila! - no eggy floaty ghosts messing up the water.

[ludwig]

WoWo - didn't see your answer - you just got in there before me!

[beale]

You have no idea how grateful I am! Cheers - my girlfriend will be well happy!

[FTVS]

beale: I have tried vineger in the water, swirling like a demon, cold eggs and whatever other tip came my way but i cannot master it! The egg poacher pan is brill - i even have one with non-stick little cups! (God i need to get a life -can't believe I have just got all excited over my egg poacher)!

[woofgang]

the other thing you need for successful in water poaching is absolutely fresh eggs. As eggs age, the white begins to deteriorate and become more water soluble, causing the eggy ghost effect. If you break a rweally fresh egg on to a plate and compare it with a lees fresh (still edible) one, you cna see the difference in the thickness and cohesion of the white...best suggestion, buy an egg poacher or fry them in a non stick pan with no fat

[woofgang]

sorry about the typos..

[Robinia]

Love the description! Forever more poached eggs will be 'eggy ghosts'...lol

[WoWo]

Sorry it was fresh eggs that were important rather than cool eggs. Yes I agree that egg poachers are the greatest cooking invention. I have one and use it all the time, for the best meal ever have, 1 whole tin of beans, 4 slices of white toast and 2 poached eggs on top. To avoid getting the eggs stuck in the poacher wipe a bit of olive oil around in the cup then they slip out with no effort.