Poaching more than one egg at once?

[Cookie]

My mother tells me I shouldn't let the water bill when I poach an egg. But that I should bring the water, salted, to a boil, take it off the heat, stir into a circle and add the egg to the centre. Now put the lid on leave until it is cooked. But I mustn't return the water to the heat.

How does this cook the egg and how, more importantly to me, how do you cook more than 1 poached egg at once please? Do you crack each egg into the water separately or would 4 say go in at once (2 each for 2 people). Cooking each egg individually would mean the eggs are served cold? Is that right? Surely you serve them hot.

I also can't see to get the egg white to stay together either.

 

[MrsDangermouse]

For years I struggled with poached eggs - I finally learned how to do it with duck eggs and once I got the hang of it I managed to do ok with chicken eggs.
Duck eggs are easier to start with because they are stronger so the whites stay together better in the water. Using very fresh chicken eggs can also help because as eggs get older the whites get weaker/runnier so they'll spread out more in the pan. Depending on the size of your pan you should be able to do 4 at a time and serve them warm.

My technique:
- Use a wide, shallow pan and bring the salted water just to the boil - turn down the heat so the water stays at a simmer
- Don't "swirl" the water
- Crack each egg into a ramekin or small bowl and gently tip into the water, trying to keep them spaced apart
- Keep adjusting your heat to make sure the water stays at a gentle simmer - you don't want it to come to a rolling boil!
- Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel when done

 

[Morning Glory]

You really don't need to poach more than one at a time. They are so fast to cook the first one won't get cold.

 

[GadgetGuy]

The most that I've done at once were 2 eggs.

 

[Yorky]

For years I struggled with poached eggs - I finally learned how to do it with duck eggs and once I got the hang of it I managed to do ok with chicken eggs.
Duck eggs are easier to start with because they are stronger so the whites stay together better in the water. Using very fresh chicken eggs can also help because as eggs get older the whites get weaker/runnier so they'll spread out more in the pan. Depending on the size of your pan you should be able to do 4 at a time and serve them warm.

My technique:
- Use a wide, shallow pan and bring the salted water just to the boil - turn down the heat so the water stays at a simmer
- Don't "swirl" the water
- Crack each egg into a ramekin or small bowl and gently tip into the water, trying to keep them spaced apart
- Keep adjusting your heat to make sure the water stays at a gentle simmer - you don't want it to come to a rolling boil!
- Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel when done

The only thing that I do different is I add vinegar to the water, not salt. If poaching two eggs, I use a 150mm diameter pan, 200 mm for 4 eggs.

They turn out like this:

Egg bleed

• Yorky
• 10 Nov 2016

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

You really don't need to poach more than one at a time. They are so fast to cook the first one won't get cold.

If you are cooking 4 eggs (2 per person such as we have just had for our evening meal) cooking them 1 at a time, each taking roughly 5 minutes, giving time to bake them out, crack the next into a ramekin and then into the water, you would be looking at 25minutes or so cooking time and at least 20 minutes between the first and last being baled out. I fail to see how an egg would stay either runny or hot in that time period.

We cook them differently.
Unsalted water brought to the boil, then drop the heat as low as is possible keeping it simmering but only just. 4 eggs is one of our larger pans but not the big ones. I think it is a 2L pan (8 cups) but I'll check. crack each egg in carefully and slowly, cover with the lid and 4-5 minutes later you have your poached egg. I'll upload the photo tomorrow but ours come out runny from fridge temperature, rather than room temp. room temp would need less cooking time, obviously.

 

[Morning Glory]

5 minutes seems much longer than mine take to cook...
Restaurants cook them ahead and then store in cold water. Not sure how they reheat them...

 

[Yorky]

5 minutes seems much longer than mine take to cook...

2 - 3 minutes mine. Duck eggs only 2 minutes.

[Edit: they have normally been out of the fridge for over an hour]

 

[Morning Glory]

OK here is how (although this is not a restaurant blog) but it is the technique I've seen on TV. Its as I thought. They store them in the fridge and then steep in hot water for a few minutes to heat through.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/10/the-food-lab-how-to-poach-eggs-for-a-party.html

 

[Morning Glory]

2 - 3 minutes mine. Duck eggs only 2 minutes.

And yours are from the fridge?
Yes. Mine too take just a few minutes. If I am cooking four eggs, I usually poach one at a time as I use the whirling method. I simply keep them warm by placing them on kitchen paper on a warm plate. But I suppose they could be covered with foil. But its easy enough to poach 4 at a time if necessary. One trick is to strain the egg to to remove excess runny liquid white.

If you can be bothered.

 

[Yorky]

OK here is how (although this is not a restaurant blog) but it is the technique I've seen on TV. Its as I thought. They store them in the fridge and then steep in hot water for a few minutes to heat through.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/10/the-food-lab-how-to-poach-eggs-for-a-party.html

If I was concerned by the shape of the poached eggs, I'd use one of those purpose made poachers. But I'm not.

A bit like Brian Turner using a pastry cutter to ensure all his Yorkshire fish cakes are the same size and shape. And he's from 'Alifax!

I spent a little time in Harry Ramsden's in Singapore explaining to the franchise manager that bread should not be cut into triangles as their fish was basically rectangular. Eventually, she left me to cut my own.

 

[Morning Glory]

I think the straining is to stop the eggs from joining up to each other because of the excess raggedy bits.

 

[Yorky]

I think the straining is to stop the eggs from joining up to each other because of the excess raggedy bits.

I have never had a problem with them joining (and neither has my wife - which is more to the point). The plan is to use a pan of sufficient size.

(I don't mind the raggedy bits - I loved "scraps" from the chippy when I was a lad; but mainly because they were free!)

 

[Morning Glory]

I have never had a problem with them joining (and neither has my wife - which is more to the point). The plan is to use a pan of sufficient size.

(I don't mind the raggedy bits - I loved "scraps" from the chippy when I was a lad; but mainly because they were free!)

I think its a question of having fresh eggs and you are using duck eggs whose whites are less likely to spread. If older hens eggs are used they can spread out rather than forming a plump shape like yours do.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

5 minutes, direct from a very cold Australian fridge - this bird also lays those huge eggs though (much larger than one of my other hens).
This is what we get cooking 4 at once in a 2.5L (so 10 cup 20cm diameter, possibly only 18cm) saucepan.