As we celebrate world health day this month, GemLife chef Matt Conquest shares his secret to mastering the perfect poached egg.
A perfect poached egg is a great skill to have in your cookery arsenal. It is amazingly versatile being equal at home with its usual breakfast partners, as it is with asparagus and parmesan for lunch or with seared salmon for dinner. There are many different approaches to poaching an egg. These are five tips to simplify the process.
Fresh: Obviously fresh is best, but this goes double for poaching an egg. If they aren’t fresh the egg won’t coagulate and you will end up with a poached yolk.
Temperature control: Too hot and you will blow the egg apart, too low and it won’t set. A very low simmer is perfect.
Water level: Four to five centimetres is all you need. A really good splash of white vinegar is super important. This helps the egg stay together and gives you a nice shaped poached egg.
Placement: Just place it in gently. You want minimal white/ yolk disturbance. If you can, crack the egg into a ladle and slide it in.
Slotted spoon: When cooked to the desired amount (3-4 minutes for a firm white and runny yoke, or less or more time according to your preference), use a slotted spoon to lift it out and let it dry on some paper towel.
Season with cracked pepper and sea salt and enjoy!