POACHED EGGS how to poach an egg (perfectly)

Hey guys and welcome back. You loved my video on how to make the perfect soft-boiled and hard-boiled egg, so I thought it only made sense to follow that video up with today's video on how to make the perfect poached egg. Now here's the funny thing when it comes to poached eggs, and I find that most people love to order them for breakfast when they're out at restaurants, but they rarely make them at home. And if you ask why, I think most would say that it's hard to get that perfect round spherical egg shape in the poached egg without getting lots of crazy white wispies all over the place. Well, for the last several weeks, which you might have seen on my Instagram stories, I have tried every single egg poaching method under the sun, from adding salt to the water or not adding salt, to adding vinegar or not adding vinegar, to swirling a vortex pattern in the pot, to using a fine mesh sieve to get rid of some of that loose egg white, to using brand new fresh eggs versus old eggs, and even changing the depth of water in the pot from a very deep pot of water to a shallow saute pan. And needless to say, I have definitely learned a few things in this process, so in today's video I'm happy to share with you all of the tips in what works the best for the perfect poached egg. So let's dive in. When it comes to the depth of water, I'd recommend a pot with at least three to four inches of water. If you use a shallow saute pan with only an inch or two, you'll end up with a flatter poached egg that may have more of a fried egg shape. So heat the pot of water on high and bring it to a boil. While we're waiting for our water to boil, we'll get our eggs ready. Now the number one most important factor when it comes to a perfectly poached egg is having the freshest eggs possible, and ideally that means that you'd purchase them just that morning. Fresh eggs are going to have tighter whites and keep more of that spherical shape that we're going for. Eggs that have been sitting in your fridge for a week or more, like this one, are going to have more of that looser liquidy white, and that's what causes all of those white wispies. But as I know running to the market before breakfast may not be feasible for most, here's what you can do to ensure poached egg success. And you should do this no matter how old your eggs are. Just crack your eggs into a fine mesh sieve, give it a little swirl, and remove that liquidy egg white. And as you can see on this egg, which I just purchased this morning, there's a lot less of that looser egg white than in the previous example. Once all of the very loose egg white has been strained out, transfer your egg to a small bowl or ramekin, as this will make it much easier to pour the egg into our pot of water. And repeat this process for as many eggs as you plan to cook. Now, just like we do when we're making soft and hard-boiled eggs, if you plan to make these poached eggs for meal prep or ahead of time, get an ice water bath ready, as this will stop the poached eggs from cooking. All right, at this point our water should be boiling, so now reduce the heat to low. You just want some slight bubbles on the bottom, if any, but no bubbles breaking the surface. Many people say to add salt to the water when you poach eggs, but I found that this actually created more white wispies and splayed the egg white all out. And the reason this happens is because salt changes the density of the water, so definitely don't add salt to the water. But just so you can see what happens with your own eyes, here's an attempted poached egg in salt water, and you can see that it doesn't hold its shape very well. When it comes to vinegar, it's true that vinegar does help to coagulate and keep the egg white all together. Now, I was against this method at first, as I didn't want my eggs to taste like vinegar, but if you use one to two tablespoons, you definitely can't taste it at all. And for the type of vinegar, you can use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or any type of lighter colored vinegar. So let's get to poaching some eggs. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to the water, then stir it and create a vortex. And yes, the vortex definitely works, and I recommend it if you're making just one or two eggs. So once you've got a nice, fast vortex, drop your egg right into the middle. And look at that lovely poached egg shape. Set your timer for three minutes for a firm white and liquid yolk. If you'd like your yolk a bit firmer, just add another 30 seconds. And once the time is up, use a slotted spoon to remove your beautiful poached egg. You can also give your egg a gentle tap to see how cooked through it is, and place it back in the water if you'd like it a little bit firmer. If it's to your liking, just dab the poached egg on a paper towel to remove any excess water and serve it up. If you're making these for meal prep or to make an advance for a crowd, add the poached egg to your ice water bath, which will ensure the egg yolk stops cooking. And I'll show you in a second how you'll warm it back up later. Now, if you'd like to make several eggs simultaneously without the vortex method, you can do that as well. The shape may be a little flatter, but it's really not a big deal. So gently pour each of your eggs into the water. And on this last egg, you can see that there was a little more liquidy white, but that the main egg shape still held together. You can also use a spoon to move the water and help create a rounder egg shape if you'd like. And when three minutes is up, again, use a slotted spoon to remove your poached eggs. If you have any leftover white wispies still attached, you can use kitchen scissors to snip those off. And this is actually what restaurants will oftentimes do for that perfect poached egg shape. They'll actually trim it into shape. Now, I think that's a little silly, and I'm all for a more natural poached egg shape like this one. All right, you've now got this beautifully poached egg, so let me show you one of my favorite poached egg breakfast recipes. Just add a little olive oil to a pan along with two cloves of minced garlic. Then squeeze a lemon into the pan and add the zest of the lemon as well. Add a bunch of asparagus and use some tongs to move them around and saute for about three to five minutes or until they're tender but still hold their shape. Add the asparagus to a plate and top them with a slice of prosciutto. Now, at this point, we don't want to add a cold poached egg to our breakfast, so to warm up our poached eggs, just add some boiling water to a bowl or large mug. Then place the poached egg in the hot water for about 20 to 30 seconds or until it's warmed through. Remove it from the hot water, and now it's ready to be topped on our asparagus. Add a little salt and pepper, and if you'd like, shave on some fresh authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. All right, let's cut into this poached egg and see how we did. Yep, I'd say that's pretty darn perfect. I hope you guys enjoyed this poached egg tutorial, and if you did, hit that thumbs up, and while you're at it, hit that subscribe button below so you don't miss next week's video, and I am now going to finish enjoying my breakfast.