Poaching eggs!

I have got the soft plastic pouches. They work fine. But the egg stuck because I did not realise you had to oil the thing.

I now use the pouch to boil eggs. Stops the eggs bumping on side of pan and cracking.

The original post on this thread has not been answered. ie when using a metal hang-over-side-of-pan thingie, should the water cover the egg completely or just come partly up side of said metal thingie.

Any member of wickie GN who can expand on this point, please do so.

We use a cereal bowl (the one we use for cornflakes).
Put in water out of the kettle,drop the egg in, give it 40 seconds in the microwave, and egg is perfect.
It takes a couple of tries to get the amount of water right, but we never do the eggs any other way now.

Yes Ana you are right. Perhaps I might open up a small cafe and offer poached eggs, cheese on toast and Welsh rarebit. These delicious comfort foods are rarely offered in cafés nowadays. It's the only way I will recoup my money.

I have the cups too. Agree with Ana it's all about the timing and the water depth. Get it wrong,

I've tried poaching pans and silicone cups, and never been happy with the results. I've finally found a perfect way to do them, which never fails me. One of the TV chefs (I forget which, sorry!) had this method:

Have a pan of boiling water ready, then before cracking open your eggs, place them in a bowl of boiling water for about 30 seconds. Then remove them and crack them into a cup or bowl.
Turn the heat down low and give the boiling water in the pan a good stir so it's swirling round as you add your egg(s) one at a time into the eddy. Then just leave them to gently set in the hot water.

Eggs should be fresh, but a drop of white wine vinegar added to the boiling water should deal with eggs that are a little older.

I've done it Jollygee's way for years, but recently experimented with the microwave method (you can add a drop of a white vinegar if you want to) and it works very well indeed. The vinegar merely encourages the white to coagulate, and doesn't change the flavour.

I've heard it said that the poaching pan, the one that turns out eggs like oval hockey pucks (only softer!)
, doesn't actually poach, but rather 'steam fries' the eggs.

I've seen those poaching pods in Lakeland and Dunelm. I'm put right off them because they remind me uncomfortably of the device DS2 used inside his cricket trousers to prevent damage to his delicate areas if hit by a fast ball.

You'd need to poach a lot of eggs to get value for money out of that pan, NanKate!

I use the silicone cups - the size of the pan doesn't matter, just the depth of the water and getting the timing right.

I have got the poaching pods - the other day my 4 year old DGS wandered in with them up his T-shirt and announced that he had "boobies"!

I've just bought a poaching pan from John Lewis at the ridiculous price of £25.00 (to be used on an induction hob). The result was great and almost justifies the money I paid.

My daughter lightly greases a mug dribble of water and microwaves them!, keeps them together nicely. I always use the boiling water and vinegar way but hers are nicer!

Immerse eggs in boiling water for 10 seconds, then take them out and crack them into the water. This ensures that the whites don't spread out.

You only need vinegar if the eggs are not very fresh. A potato masher is ideal to pick the eggs out!

Yes wouldn't be without my poacher. Easy peasy

Poaching pan for me too, perfect poached eggs and no faff. Mine's 17 years old and going strong.

P.s. I got some disposable poaching pockets from Aldi. Absolute waste of time and effort - takes twice as long as the above mentioned method.

I had a poaching pan for years and then lost it! (Don't ask - we were always moving!). After that, I simply poached them as above - boiling water, vortex, fresh eggs, vinegar optional! Don't have many failures.

You know how useless or very rich women were said to be unable to boil an egg? Well I've never poached an egg in my life. I'm no good at eggs because I only eat them rock hard. When a grandchild asks for a boiled egg I have to scramble it instead because you can't see when a boiled egg is done.

We're still using a poaching pan that we were given as a wedding present - in 1975! Unfortunately the cups are not non-stick but a small amount of butter in the bottom of each is enough to ensure that the eggs release easily.

I do the same as you Tanith but no vinegar and I use a mini wok.

I do mine in a shallow frying pan, boiling water with vinegar in, must be fresh eggs. Drop them in one at a time I turn the heat right down and just let them set, use a slotted spoon and kitchen roll to make sure they are fairly dry and plonk on hot buttered toast I can't just eat one

Its a doddle.

I use a small rounded bottom pan.

Salt and a drop of vinegar into the water

Eggs must be fresh

When the water boils stirr with a fork then drop the egg from a teacup or similar into the vortex, use fork to gather up the whites.

Drop temp and let it all set.

Drain with a slotted spoon.

Enjoy with buttered toast

Who needs all the nonsense of dishes pods etc.

2 Posts today for me... Is that a record?

I suppse it better than none.

Once again I've wasted my money! I have got a poaching pan but never tried it! I also bought silicone pods but they fell over and took agess to cook I spose tbhe principle of the poaching pan is that the eggs aren't submerged in water. I do love poached eggs on toast.!

I simply use a poaching pan, it takes up to four eggs, the cups are non stick, the pan has a vented lid, simples!