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How to poach an egg

Poaching an egg is really easy if you just know a few tricks to make it work. Since I’ve been doing WW I’ve been eating a lot more poached eggs since there’s no frying, but you still get a lot of the benefits: filling, low points, healthy, cheap, and goes well with lots of things.

Set some water to boil in a medium saucepan. The egg wants a little depth. Before the water starts boiling, right when bubbles start to form, turn the heat down to medium or medium-high. It should be just on the verge of bubbling, maybe a few gentle streamers. If the bubbles are too violent, they’ll break the egg apart and you’ll end up with a mess.

Add a splash of white vinegar to the water, and some salt. I think I got the white vinegar trick from Jamie Oliver, and something about it helps the egg stay together better.

Crack your egg on a flat surface, like a plate, and gently open it into a small bowl, something glass, ceramic, or metal that will allow easy pouring of the egg. If you break the yolk, toss the egg or do something else with it, because your poached egg won’t be very good. It’s okay, just grab another egg.

With a slotted spoon, swirl the water so you get a bit of a funnel to form in the middle. Another Jamie Oliver trick. I think this helps the eggs settle into one place.  Since the egg floats in water, the centripetal force has the opposite effect that you’d expect.

Holding the bowl as close to the water as possible, gently pour the egg into the middle of the funnel you formed previously, and just let it sit there for a bit.

I find that about 4 minutes is perfect for me. It gives a yolk that is slightly jellified but still runny.

I like to have my poached egg on a whole wheat english muffin with raw spinach and some sriracha sauce. Enjoy!

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