Perfectly Poached Eggs

A little while back I wrote a blog about omelets.  I said that I am a big fan of eggs, and that I have (in my somewhat humble opinion) mastered most techniques of egg preparations.  But I had never poached an egg. Thankfully one of my readers e-mailed me instructions for a perfectly poached egg.  So today while The Mrs. is out of town, I decided to make myself a breakfast egg sandwich, or two, with poached eggs.

In a saucepan with high edges, boil water with a tbsp. of vinegar then reduce it to a simmer.  Crack a cold egg into a measuring cup and gently lower it into the simmering water from very close range.

Add up to 4 total eggs to your simmering water and let them go for 3-5 minutes until the whites have turned totally opaque.  Don't let them go too long, because you want to be sure your yolks don't set up.


In the meantime I took some whole wheat toast and added sliced ham and Swiss cheese.  I lightly peppered the top and put them into the toaster oven to melt everything nicely.  You don't need to add salt here because the ham & cheese should already by salty enough.



Scoop out your eggs with a slotted spoon and allow the water to drip off as much as possible. Then top your open face sandwich and finish with a little sea salt and black pepper.  You do want to season the egg to make sure it is flavorful.

When you cut into the eggs, the yolk should spill out everywhere and make a delicious "sauce" of sorts for your breakfast.  It is paramount that your yolks are runny otherwise you've basically got yourself hard-boiled eggs.  So cut into it and see how you've done.

The proof is in the pudding ... or yolks, as it was.  Clearly I was a fan. =)