Use an Egg Poacher
Poaching an egg in boiling water is never as simple as it seems. Timing the poaching of the egg in a large amount of water is often difficult, as is pooling the egg white. Everyday cooks may want to look into buying an egg poacher. Egg poachers come in a variety of styles, including stove top pans, electric poachers and microwave poachers. Depending on the type of poacher and the manufacturer, cooking instructions will vary. However, most poachers work in the same fashion by using water poured into the cup sections of the poacher to steam or blanch the eggs. Follow these general guidelines for using the 3 different types of egg poachers.
Contents
Steps
Use a Stove Top Poacher
- Fill the poacher with water. Fill the bottom of the pan with enough water to touch the bottom of the cups when they are placed in the pan.
- Place the eggs in the cups. Crack each egg and pour it into a cup. If you are not using all the cups, fill the extra cups with water to avoid any burning.
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Cook the eggs. Cover the poacher with the lid and cook the eggs for 2 to 3 minutes. Eggs are cooked when the outsides are pale white and the yolk is soft.
Use an Electric Poacher
- Prepare the poacher. Plug in the poacher. Add water to the poacher according to manufacturer's instructions, which vary.
- Add the eggs. Break the eggs and pour 1 egg into each cup. Pour a small amount of water into any unused cups.
- Cook the eggs. Close the lid and set the automatic timer on the appliance. The eggs will be poached when the timer goes off.
Use a Microwave Poacher
- Fill the poacher. Break 1 egg into each egg cup. Fill each cup with 1/2 tsp. (2.5 ml) of water. Fill any unused cups all the way with water.
- Pierce each egg yolk using a fork. Microwave temperatures will explode the yolk if it's not pierced.
- Cook the eggs. Close the lid and microwave on high in 30-second intervals until the whites have cooked and the yolks are soft.
Tips
- When using stove top poachers, use just enough heat required to boil the water. If the water boils too vigorously, this may cause the egg whites to splutter out and harden, creating a mess.
- Serve poached eggs as soon as they are ready. They will tend to get a rubbery texture if left to sit.
- Consider lubricating the inner surface of each cup with two drops of oil. This will help prevent the egg from sticking to the cup when it hardens.
- Many electric egg poachers come with special accessories for poaching, because they are also capable of cooking hard-boiled eggs. Make sure your appliance has a poaching accessory.
