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Kitchen Hacks: How to Poach an Egg

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If you really think about it, it’s easy to understand why some people don’t like eggs.

They smell really bad when you peel them, the whites (when not cooked fully) look kinda slimy, and it’s hard not to think about the fact that you’re eatng a baby chicken.

Note: it’s actually not a baby chicken.  It’s a sterile egg (only fertilized eggs become chickens).

On the bright side, if you’re an egg lover (pick me, pick me!), there is a lot to love about these little bundles of goodness:

– one eggs has 5 grams of fat, 6 grams of high quality protein and only 70 calories

– 2 eggs = one serving from the meat group

– one egg has 50% of your Vitamin B12 daily allowance (great for heart health)

– eggs have 14 nutrients (including iron, zinc, folate, choline, selemium, lutien and Vitamins A, D and E)

– eggs are one of the few foods that are a complete protein (with all 9 of the essential amino acids)

– Aaaand, it’s a perfect snack…it’s portable, has it’s own recyclable container and doesn’t need utensils!

 

Now, if you’ve never tried to master poached eggs, you might thinks it’s something that is just too complicated.

But, don’t let anything scare you away from trying to make some poached eggs.  They are super easy, need no extra fat for cooking (unlike fried) and can be made ahead for a crowd – imagine!!

So, put a pot of water on and let’s get cracking!

 

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If you are making one egg, use a small pot filled with water; bring to a boil and add 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp vinegar.

 

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The easiest way to drop an egg into your poaching pan is to break it into a small bowl; set aside.

 

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When you’re ready, give the water a quick stir (imagine you are creating a whirlpool!) and then just “slide” the egg into the boiling water.

 

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Don’t get scared – it will look like a mess but let it sit for about 30 seconds and then take a soup spoon and gently make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom; coddle the egg a bit with your spoon (imagine you are rocking it back a forth VERY gently – this keeps as much of the white attached to the egg)

 

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You can see there is still white bits floating around…that’s okay….just keep as much contained as you can.

Leave the egg undisturbed for 4 minutes for a very soft egg or 6 minutes for a harder egg (just give the egg a wiggle and take it out according to your liking).

NOTE:  If you are cooking for a crowd, use a large shallow pan and drop the eggs along the edge of the pan (5 at a time for a large saute pan).  Making sure they don’t stick, you can use the method described above, or, once you have made sure it’s not sticking, cover the pan, turn off the heat and leave it for about 5-6 minutes.  Remove the eggs from the water, and place them in an ice bath (a bowl with cold water and ice – this stops the cooking process).  You can place the bowl in the fridge and even keep them until the next day; then just warm them in a boiling pan of water for one minute and continue as described below.

 

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Place the egg onto a clean piece of paper towel and blot off the excess moisture (if you don’t do this, you will have soggy toast!).

Either place the egg on your plate or directly on your toast and serve immediately.

Once you master this, you’ll be putting eggs on everything!!