Last Sunday I tried out a new idea while poaching eggs for breakfast. Place each egg you wish to poach in a pouch made of plastic wrap add in herbs, peppers, bacon, etc. then tie the top with a long strip of plastic wrap. You can then poach multiple eggs in the same small pot of water. This sounded too good to be true as I often find myself poaching 14 eggs at a time (2 eggs/person @ 6 guests + Sasha = 14). The first attempt went pretty well, until I tried to pull them out of the water. The bottom side of the bags had become too hot and melted a bit. The eggs still made it to the plate, but some ended up on the counter, too. Next time I'll add extra water to the pot and leave a little air in the bags so they float above the heat source. The other problem is that it's hard to tell when they are done. 4 minutes was the recomended time, but they were still really soft (just the way I like them, but I had to put Sasha's in a pan for a few minutes). I'm sure more experience will prove to perfect this new approach to poach.
This is how I always poach eggs at home. In case you don't already know this, it's easiest to put a square of plastic wrap in a coffee cup for easy filling. I've never had the melting issue... your water may be too hot. Make sure it's not too close to boiling!
ReplyDeleteI just twist the top together instead of tying, but I find I sometimes get undesirable water... sometimes I'll "decant" the packages onto a piece of paper towel and then use a pancake flipper to move them to the plate.
I saw this recently:
ReplyDeletePoaching Eggs For A Crowd:
To poach eggs for a crowd, cook eggs ahead of time, slightly undercooking them. Slide them into a large bowl of cold water. When ready to be served, immerse in barely simmering water for 1 to 2 minutes.
If you are making eggs only a short while ahead, slide all of them, as they are cooked, into a large bowl of hot (not boiling) water. Don't worry about them sticking together. Top with more hot water from time to time to keep them warm. The eggs will be soft, warm, and ready to eat when you are ready to serve them.