How your slow-poached egg shouldn’t look
slow-poached egg and hard-poached egg
Slow-poaching is truly a terrific way to poach eggs; they need a little bit of baby-sitting, but it’s well worth it. I remember the first time I was at Noodle Bar I was in awe when the chef behind the counter cracked open a seemingly raw egg and a cook one slid out.
I’ve made the slow poached eggs several times now, and usually they turn out great: soft, creamy whites with barely-cooked yolks. Yesterday though, I wasn’t paying as much attention as usual and the temperature of the water went up to 155˚.
The optimal temperature for slow-poached eggs is between 140˚ and 145˚F, but just in case you ever wanted to know what an overcooked slow-poached egg looks like, here it is. The yolk was solid-ish and not at all like the “right” way to make slow-poached eggs.
the yolk just won't yield to my toast soldier!
I poached another egg for visual comparison. As you can see, you can easily dunk your toast into one egg, but not the other. Even so, the “overcooked” poached egg tasted awesome with sweet soy sauce and some green onions.
notice the difference in yolks
Mike: You’re not eating this? I think you should have it. (It being the tiniest bit of egg ever left in the dish)
Me: What? No, I was going to put that in the sink.
Mike: Ok. More for me.
mmm...still good with soy sauce and green onions
Then Mike spooned up the minuscule amount of egg left in the bowl and popped it in his mouth.
Eggs are always a hit, overcooked or not and slow-poached are a truly delicious way to cook eggs, if you do them right or not!
slow-poached egg yolk creaminess
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Qué sutileza, excelentes fotos y un corte de pan magistral.
Kisses
Ana
Ana,
Gracias!
thanks for the comparison picture- but you’re definitely right- eggs are great ANY way they are cooked :O)
Betty,
Thanks for sharing my love of eggs!
Some vinegar in the water keeps the whites from running!
Ed,
I’ve heard about the vinegar trick when poaching eggs the “regular” way, but I confess, I’ve never poached eggs except the slow-poached way!
cool, some bacon dipped in a slow poached egg sounds good also. I’ve never tried egg with soy and gr onion, sounds yummy.
Brad,
Mmm, bacon dippers! Yum!
I just dove into my copy of the Momofuko cookbook this weekend, and I’m totally a convert to slow poached eggs. I have a remote thermometer (designed for roasts) and it was perfect for slow poaching eggs — I had it go off at 145, so I could make adjustments if the water got too hot.
Kate,
Awesome! I really want to get one of those gun thermometers, I think that would be pretty cool, but a remote thermometer would still be a step up from my candy thermometer.
Love eggs. There’s nothing more delightful. Poached eggs, fried eggs, omelet, scrambled; however, there is something comforting and soul satisfying about a runny yolk. I’ve never tried the soy sauce w egg but looks great.
Soy sauce and eggs will change your life! You should try it. Doesn’t matter how you cook your eggs, if you add a splash of soy, it really boosts the egg-y flavour!
Great post…and on another note if the temperature of the water drops below 140 for two long, the egg won’t cook at all. See my new slow poached egg and fried green tomato recipe at the link. Love the site!
Oh and by the way…the vinegar trick posted in a comment above mine works great for regular poached eggs, but will be useless for slow poached eggs since they are cooked in the shell. You will get a nice set white if you crack the egg gently but you will have to pour off some additional liquid before serving properly.