Poached eggs

Method

The golden rule when poaching an egg is to make sure you have fresh eggs at room temperature, laid by well-fed and happy chickens. This will ensure you have a beautiful, rich-coloured egg yolk and a thicker white. You can test the freshness of an egg easily by placing it in a glass of cold water. If it sinks to the bottom, you can be sure it is fresh. If it floats close to the surface, do not use it. The vinegar is not essential if the eggs are exceptionally fresh. However, we find this is a failsafe way to stabilise the egg white while poaching. Crack each egg into a small bowl, one at a time. This way you can ensure that you have not included any shell, and that the egg does not have any blood spots and is not rotten. In a heavy-based saucepan, bring the water to the boil with the vinegar and salt, then reduce the heat to a heavy simmer. Stir the water to create a gentle whirlpool. Place the eggs, one at a time, into the water, moving quickly as you do not want the whirlpool to stop moving, as this allows the eggs to form a boiled egg-like shape. Once the egg whites have turned opaque, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking for a further 3–4 minutes, allowing the white to set firm. The egg yolks should remain runny and warm. Once cooked, lift the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with a clean tea towel or paper towel to drain.