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To Poach Eggs
1121. Set a stewpan of water on the fire; when boiling, slip an egg, previously broken in a cup, into the water; when the white looks done enough, slide an egg-slice under the egg, and lay it on toast and butter, or spinach. As soon as enough are done, serve hot. If not fresh laid, they will not poach well, and without breaking. Trim the ragged parts of the whites, and make them look round.
A compact set of instructions that gets the essentials right, though it assumes an egg fresher than most shop eggs and says nothing about water depth or heat.
- Heat, not a rolling boilBring the pan to the boil, then drop it back to a bare simmer with only occasional bubbles before the egg goes in. Water at a true boil tears the white apart, which is exactly the ragged edge the recipe then tells you to trim away.
- Depth of waterUse a wide pan with at least 2 inches of water so the egg can sink and set without touching the base. A shallow film of water gives a flat, spread egg.
- Egg freshnessThe warning is sound: the thick white of a fresh egg holds its shape, while an older egg has a loose, watery white that streams off. If your eggs are shop-bought and a week or two old, a teaspoon of vinegar in the water helps the white set faster, and straining the egg briefly in a slotted spoon removes the thin outer white that causes most of the wisping.
- TimingTwo and a half to three minutes gives a set white and a liquid yolk; four minutes firms the yolk at the edges. The original's test -- "when the white looks done enough" -- is workable, but the white will look opaque well before the yolk directly beneath it has warmed through.
- Egg-sliceA Victorian egg-slice is a thin, flat turner, sometimes perforated. A slotted spoon does the job better here, as it drains the water that would otherwise soak the toast.
- Cooking in batchesTwo to three eggs per pan is the practical limit; more drops the water temperature and they set into one another. If serving several people, hold the finished eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot) water and drain them just before plating.
- ServingAllow one or two eggs per person. The spinach suggestion is worth taking up: plain buttered spinach, squeezed dry, under a poached egg is essentially the combination later known as eggs Florentine.