Bring to boil, THEN lower heat Boiling too rapidly = egg jiggles around too much and causes the whites to disintegrate. The best way round this – bring to boil, then turn it down so there's no bubbles breaking the surface but there's little bubbles coming up from the base of the pot, then immediately drop eggs in.
Poaching an egg in a little vinegar helps the egg maintain its form while poaching. The vinegar helps the egg whites cook faster, allowing the egg to better stay together. Just adding about a Tablespoon of vinegar to your water can make all the difference.
Place the bowl close to the surface of the hot water and gently slip the egg into the water. If you want, use a spoon to push some of the egg whites closer to their yolks, to help them hold together. Add all of the eggs you are poaching to the pan in the same way, keeping some distance between them.
"Vinegar is an inherently acidic material, so if we add a few drops of vinegar into that boiling water that is going to increase the rate of denaturing and it's going to make that happen faster and help the poached egg hold its shape better."
Vinegar in the water: Never. Vinegar firms up the whites, but the viscous portion of the whites are going to firm up anyway (and the runny portion is still going to be stringy). The whites always cook faster than the yolks. Firming the whites faster with vinegar simply overcooks them before the yolks are ready.
Bring a pan of water filled at least 5cm deep to a simmer.
Don't add any salt as this may break up the egg white. Stir the water to create a gentle whirlpool to help the egg white wrap around the yolk.
The swirling water will help prevent the white from "feathering," or spreading out in the pan.
If the water is hot enough (near boiling), salt increases the density of the cooking liquid just enough to make the egg bob to the surface when it's about perfectly done. While you can certainly poach eggs without the salt and vinegar, they'll want to sit on the bottom of the pan and thus cook unevenly.
Using milk as your poaching liquid will inject sweetness and creaminess into your morning egg. Melissa from Smells Like Brownies has a step-by-step guide to making the perfect milk poached eggs. Just heat milk with a some salt and spices, cook an egg in it, and you've got yourself a full-flavored poached egg.
Let eggs come to room temperature before poaching, as that helps them cook more evenly. Take the eggs you want to poach out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook them. If your eggs are not farm-fresh, you can add a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice to the water.
Most supermarket are generally old enough. But if you have super fresh eggs, save them for poaching and keep the older ones for boiling. Starting the cooking with cold water decreases the chances of eggs cracking as you add them to a hot pan of water.
Just a teaspoon of salt can efficiently prevent the eggs from cracking during the boiling process. Fill a pot with water, put on the heat and mix 1 tsp salt in it. When it comes to a boil, gently drop the eggs into the pot and boil them for 10 minutes to get the perfectly cooked yolk.
Boiling water can ruin your poached eggs
If your water is at a boiling temperature when you add eggs in, it could cause the egg white to break apart, the Kitchn notes. Instead of a beautifully poached egg, you'd be left with just "wispy bits" of egg white strewn throughout your pot.
If you're making 2 poached eggs, allow the first one to gently form and move to the side of a pan before pouring in the second egg (so they don't stick). Any more than two, and it's best to cook them in batches.
Salt increases the density of the water which makes more of the egg white float and splay out. In other words, a not-so-pretty poached egg. Verdict: Don't do it.
As the egg ages, the white becomes more runny. So the runnier the white, - the older the egg. If the egg sinks and lays flat on the bottom, it's very fresh. If the egg sits on the bottom at an angle,it's a bit older.
Why Do You Put Vinegar In The Water To Poach An Egg? Vinegar helps the egg whites set while keeping them tender. If you don't add vinegar to the poaching water, the eggs may take longer to cook which may result in a perfectly cooked egg white and an overcooked yolk.