"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."
If you soak an egg in vinegar the eggshell will absorb the acid and break down, or dissolve. The calcium carbonate will become carbon dioxide gas, which will go into the air. What is left is the soft tissue that lined the inside of the eggshell. It will bounce!
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.
Heat the water: Add enough water to come 1 inch up the side of a narrow, deep 2-quart saucier. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 teaspoons white vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
The main reason for adding vinegar to the water when poaching eggs is because the acid in the vinegar helps to coagulate the whites in the egg more quickly resulting in them cooking quicker as well.
Use a deep, large pan to poach an egg. Fill it with plenty of water and add a pinch of salt and a dash of white wine vinegar. This will help set the egg.
As with boiled eggs, the amount of vinegar placed in the water will allow a 'tight' form and presentable shape: the white will not wander or separate from the yolk. Do not add salt, as this will toughen the egg. The best vinegar to use is a distilled clear vinegar.
Directions. First, bring 8 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 cup of rice vinegar to a rolling boil. Then, using a spoon, carefully place about 8 large eggs into the water. Turn the heat down slightly and let boil for 14 minutes.
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.
It can take 12-24 hours before a good portion of the shell is removed. A good sign of progress is a white frothy scummy layer on the top of the surface of the vinegar. After a day of soaking you can carefully remove the egg from the vinegar.
The right water temperature is key to poached egg success. Water not hot enough = eggs dissolve into water before they set = murky pot of milky water. Boiling too rapidly = egg jiggles around too much and causes the whites to disintegrate.
Heat the water on high until it reaches a boil and then lower the heat until the water is at a bare simmer (just a few bubbles coming up now and then). Crack the egg into a small bowl and gently slip it into the water: Working with the eggs one at a time, crack the egg into a small bowl or cup.
Fill a bowl with cold water and set aside. Using a wooden spoon or whisk, stir simmering water in one direction to create a whirlpool (this will help to give your poached eggs a neat shape). Slide egg from saucer into centre of whirlpool, as close to water as possible.
3Beer & Butter. Beer poached eggs work best with dark and malty beers like a porter or stout. You can also try using a very strong ale.
A really soft poached egg should take around 2 minutes and a soft-to-firm one will need 4 minutes (it depends on the size of the egg and whether you're using it straight from the fridge). To check if it's done, carefully remove your egg from the pan with a slotted spoon and give it a gentle prod with a teaspoon.
For extra insurance, add a tablespoon of rice vinegar or mild-tasting vinegar to the boiling water. It helps the loose, billowy white stay intact, forming a more tight and compact shape. And don't worry about the taste of the vinegar — it's mild and unnoticeable in the finished egg.
Second, when you swirl the egg, it means that the outer white and the inner white merge together, meaning you can't trim the outer white away to make it a gorgeous, Thomas Keller-worthy egg. What should you do instead? Use a lot of vinegar in your water.
If you want to poach two eggs as "one," crack the eggs into the same ramekin and very gently tip into the water simultaneously. Allow the egg to cook, untouched, for between 3-4 minutes (setting a timer as every second counts!), based on how soft you want the yolk to be.
Egg Peeling Method #3: Boiling Eggs with Vinegar
Adding white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to your pot of water allegedly results in softer, easier-to-peel eggshells. That's because the acid in vinegar dissolves some of the calcium carbonate that makes up the egg's hard exterior.
This substitution works best for cakes, cupcakes, and quick breads. Mixing 1 teaspoon (7 grams) of baking soda with 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of vinegar can replace 1 egg in most recipes.
Take the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and drop them into an ice and water bath. This will stop the cooking process in its tracks, making sure residual heat doesn't keep the show going, and helps guarantee that perfectly runny yolk.