I would recommend against microwave poaching (not that anyone here has suggested it).

Wire story wrote:A Scottish footballer was hospitalised after being scalded when an egg exploded in his face.

Glasgow Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot was inspecting two eggs he had poached in his microwave when one exploded and squirted scalding water in his face.

[. . .]

According to the Daily Record, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents say 500 Britons needed hospital treatment after "egg-related incidents" in 2002, the last year such data was collected.

I hear there have been spot shortages of eggs since this thread began. Today for a little almuerzo we had poached eggs on rice, a Hispanic riff on the OP:

Bill/SFNM wrote:I hear there have been spot shortages of eggs since this thread began. Today for a little almuerzo we had poached eggs on rice, a Hispanic riff on the OP:

Heh, I went out and got 2 1/2 dozen eggs today, I'll hoard them carefully.

Bill, what method did you use to poach the egg in this picture? It is just beautiful!

Ursiform wrote:Bill, what method did you use to poach the egg in this picture? It is just beautiful!

Thank you, Ursiform.

These eggs were cooked the way I always have: simmer water with a splash of white vinegar. Break egg carefully into water. Remove with slotted spoon and place in a bowl of cold water. Just before serving, dunked back into simmering water to heat through. drain on dish towel and serve.

Bill/SFNM

Kennyz wrote:

elakin wrote:next time, try lowering the temp way down and doing "sous vide" eggs.

Eddie,

The plastic baggie method did make me think of that, and I expected someone would bring it up (though I expected dansch, who loves to plug things like his immersion circulator and tweeter* machine, to be first).

As it turns out, I'm actually not a fan of poached eggs, so I hadn't been following the thread. It was mentioned over dinner last night, so I thought I might pipe in.

Since I'm not actually a fan, I never make them and don't have any personal advice to provide. That said, one of my favorite food blogs, Ideas in Food did recently cover this topic. Their method combines kennyz's[0] plastic film method with sous vide cooking, but more importantly - their recipe (apparently from Arzak in Spain) calls for goose fat[1] which sounds freaking awesome (it also calls for truffle oil[2]).

Kenny, in case you're looking for an Arzak egg recipe that doesn't call for an immersion circulator, I did see that the AARP has a recipe for it - I'm sure their membership is likewise adverse to technological progress.

*tweet*

-Dan

http://www.aarpmagazine.org/food/recipe ... 1121708319

[0] does something that ends in a 'z' get an apostrophe and then an 's', or just an apostrophe?
[1] made me realize that I have butter, goat butter, duck fat, bacon drippings and home-rendered lard in my fridge, but no goose fat. I'm such a failure.
[2] which I don't care for and makes the whole thing sound revolting - poached eggs and truffle oil are on my very short list of disliked foods - combined brings them up to the top

dansch wrote: their recipe (apparently from Arzak in Spain) calls for goose fat[1] which sounds freaking awesome (it also calls for truffle oil[2]).

I had this dish at Arzak - "Flor de huevo y tartufo en grasa de oca con txistorra de dátiles" that included a kind of date sausage. It really wasn't memorable. I don't recall that the whole was better than the sum of the parts.

Easiest way I've found for making poached eggs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbAQgJF3 ... PL&index=3

Bill, that really is a lovely photo.

I say that despite a lifelong aversion to soft-cooked egg yolks. I like my eggs fried hard and smashed down flat. I know, I know.

Matt wrote:I would recommend against microwave poaching (not that anyone here has suggested it).

I take it that was in half-jest. Not for poaching, but otherwise the microwave is a very good way to cook eggs (if done right) without additional oils/fats.

Bill/SFNM wrote: When using metal or silicone cups, the taste reminds me more of a fried egg. However, next time I'll try your method to see how it comes out. Thanks!

Maybe because the water temperature is too high?

I'm way behind on this thread - say kennyz's initial post and then missed the wonderful lessons. I just want to add that for poaching eggs one must use very fresh eggs (like I'm sure Bill does) otherwise there will be much more spread to the white.
Not quite poaching but few weeks ago I was tinkering with eggs for other reasons at 65ºC
Misting with oil does help - though I did it in a ziplock rather than kennyz's great idea to do it in a bundle.

Egg white will start to coagulate/thicken at 145ºF/63ºC but most of it will only harden around 180ºF/80ºC. Yolk will set at 150ºF/65ºC. (see McGee; On Food and Cooking)


At 150ºF/65ºC the white is still runny and the yolk soft but set.
Excellent quick dinner in my office



I'll need to try kennyz's wrapping trick and also check the effect of vinegar/acid combined with low heat ala poaching

OK, so I tried the swirlpool method and it works. When I first slid the egg into the vortex it was, like, all swirly streamers. But they rapidly came together, compacted, and made me a very nice clean-surfaced egg. This is now my go-to/default method: great product, no cleanup. Woo-hoo! Tnx folks!

Geo

sazerac wrote: I take it that was in half-jest. Not for poaching, but otherwise the microwave is a very good way to cook eggs (if done right) without additional oils/fats.

Hubby occasionally cooks eggs in the microwave; I've never enjoyed them - I find them to have a rubbery/spongy texture that I can't stand (for this reason, I don't order eggs (well, really, I prefer to order nothing at all) at Le Peep, all the eggs I've had there have this texture) I wonder if this an issue with the method or with how it's implemented? Is it maybe because the eggs heat too quickly, or because the temperature doesn't travel from the outside/in?

M—I think it ultimately has to do with the way in which the protein strings react with the micro's waves. Some of the energy is transferred more 'directly' (to speak very loosely) to the strands, than it is by more indirect thermal methods. [This is a Geo-theory here, and someone may know much better; but it seems to me that there is some of this going on.] Consequently the proteins shrink more radically than when they get energy thermally.

Just a thought.

Geo

Geo wrote:M—I think it ultimately has to do with the way in which the protein strings react with the micro's waves. Some of the energy is transferred more 'directly' (to speak very loosely) to the strands, than it is by more indirect thermal methods. [This is a Geo-theory here, and someone may know much better; but it seems to me that there is some of this going on.] Consequently the proteins shrink more radically than when they get energy thermally.

Geo,

I subscribe to a similar theory. Mine goes something like, "A microwave doesn't cook food, it scares it."

Resonates with me, Steve!

Geo

Forgive me if this was mentioned already - I just saw these in a store today and thought of this thread, since they might solve the plastic-wrap chemical leakage worry and the metal tin taste worry. Has anyone tried them?


http://www.amazon.com/Fusionbrands-Poach-Pods-Set-Green/dp/B000P6FD3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1247335078&sr=1-1

Coming late to this thread, but I use the vortex method with one variation. Instead of a saucepan, I use a a deep saute pan and make separate vortices. This method makes the prettiest eggs and you can poach a lot of them in one pan.

One key to nicely shaped poached eggs is to use very fresh eggs. (If your eggs are not fresh, you're better off soft-boiling or coddling them.) However, if your white comes out a little stringy you can use kitchen sheers to snip the misshapen bits off.

When I'm just making one or two eggs and don't want that much trouble, I poach in the microwave: Take a small bowl or ramekin. Fill about half full with water and a dash of vinegar. Add an egg, cover with plastic wrap. Nuke about 1 minute (might be a little more or less, depending on your microwave). Pull off the plastic carefully and remove the egg with a slotted spoon. Do each egg separately.

I have never had any trouble with exploding eggs, and they taste just like any other poached egg.