poached eggs in cling film

[woofy]

After eating the perfect poached egg at arzak (poached in cling film with duck fat and truffle oil) I tried the technique of poaching in cling film myself. The resulting poached egg was great, definatally my preffered method by a long way, however, I was wondering about the safety of boiling cling film in contact with food. It doesnt melt or give any off flavours but i'm still a little concerned. Anyone know about the safety of this?

[Saara]

I would probably find a heat- and food-safe plastic to use instead of the cling film. Perhaps a freezer or vacuum sealer bag?

Microwaving and heating of cling film isn't recommended particularly when in contact with food and especially in contact with high fat foods. Plastics are made of oil and some oils will break down some plastics.

My source is my honey who is a plastics engineer, but I did find this:

Food Standards Agency

The egg sounds quite decadent!

[HKDave]

I've made variations of 'Eggs Arzak' many times with regular cling film without problems. Vacuum sealer bags are too stiff and the wrong shape, you need plain cling film. Given that you should be poaching well below the boiling point, I doubt there's much risk of the film breaking down or leaching chemmies. Egg whites coagulate at about 60-65C, so you don't need the water to be much hotter than that.

If you are concerned, maybe use film labelled 'microwave safe' as these supposedly better withstand higher temperatures. But again, you should be poaching eggs well below microwave steam temperatures.

One trick - if you prep the wrapped eggs the night before you cook them, the eggs absorb the (duck fat, truffle, whatever) flavour much better.

[andiesenji]

You can also get an excellent result with eggs Mollet

This was one of Julia Child's methods demonstrated in one of the specials she did with other chefs. However just at the moment I can't recall which one, possibly Jacques Pepin...

Michael Roux's book "eggs", also details the various methods of cooking eggs, including eggs Mollet.

eggs by Michael Roux

In one of my very old cookbooks there is a note about preparing eggs semi-soft, which involved dipping the eggs in melted parafin and then placing in "blood-warm" water (that term just stuck in my mind) for an hour. The resultant slightly cooked egg was supposed to be opened and carefully deposited in a hollow made in a serving of steak tartare.

This was for serving a large party of diners and the eggs were supposed to remain at serving temperature for a long time without cooking too much.

I never tried it because I prefer my eggs cooked just a bit more and I would never eat raw meat....

I could never understand the point about dipping in melted parafin, unless it would insulate the egg.

Edited April 28, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Kouign Aman]

Would anyone care to proffer a recipe for eggs poached in truffle oil / duck fat or other ?

I can probably figure out the cling-wrap poaching part, but helpful hints would be gratefully accepted.

This might have to happen in my kitchen this weekend.

[little ms foodie]

I have had those eggs at Arzak also and would love to see a little demo! I tried the cling wrap once but didn't do it correctly and had the water too hot

[HKDave]

Well, I'm a non-photographer, so here's a verbal 'demo':

- cut a roughly 8" square of cling film. Smear all but the edges with duck fat (and/or whatever seasonings you are using). Use the film to line a flared teacup, fat side up.

- crack an egg into the cling-film lined teacup. I think Arzak adds some truffle oil at this point. Gather the edges of the cling film and tie them off with a bit of string at the top.

So now you have an egg wrapped in duck-fat coated cling film. I keep this in the fridge overnight for the flavours to infuse. Poach as usual - and that means with the water shimmering rather than boiling - until the whites set but the yolk is still liquid. Remove film and serve. I usually use these on salads, but they're classy for breakfasts as well.

Edit: sloppy grammer...

Edited April 29, 2006 by HKDave (log)

[andiesenji]

Tying plastic wrap or cling film is a bit tricky. However, in the office/school supply section of most stores you can find solid plastic paper clips (no metal whatsoever) that hold plastic wrap beautifully and are easy to remove.

[Saara]

I've made variations of 'Eggs Arzak' many times with regular cling film without problems.  Vacuum sealer bags are too stiff and the wrong shape, you need plain cling film.  Given that you should be poaching well below the boiling point, I doubt there's much risk of the film breaking down or leaching chemmies.  Egg whites coagulate at about 60-65C, so you don't need the water to be much hotter than that.

If you are concerned, maybe use film labelled 'microwave safe' as these supposedly better withstand higher temperatures.  But again, you should be poaching eggs well below microwave steam temperatures.

One trick - if you prep the wrapped eggs the night before you cook them, the eggs absorb the (duck fat, truffle, whatever) flavour much better.

←

Thank you HKDave and everyone else for providing the clarification on the temperature and method. I suspected that there might be a shape issue, but I'm unfamiliar with the actual dish. I'm also happy to learn that there is microwave-safe plastic for those who own such implements.

Meanwhile I'll be off to ponder whether duck fat and truffles will be enough make eggs palatable for me. I do love to cook them so will try this with my first willing victim.

[little ms foodie]

HKD- THANK YOU!! class will be held this weekend and I'll post the results. DAMN!

[Wolfert]

This is how I learned to do the Arzak eggs from another Basque chef, Carlos Posada of the Madrid Restaurant Amparo,who learned it from the master.

He lines a small ramekin with a 10-inch sheet of plastic wrap, then drops in a bit of truffle oil or duck fat and some salt and pepper. He cracks a large egg into the lined ramekin and pulls up the wrap around the egg so that the white encloses the yolk. After removing as much air as possible, he fastens it shut with a plasic tie, creating a hobo- shaped package. The egg can be refrigerated for a short while.

When all the eggs are ready to be poached, he simmers them for 7 minutes, after which he drops them into ice water to firm them up. The packages can be kept for a few hours in the icy water..

When he needs to serve the dish, he reheats the egg for an instant in hot water, removes the plastic wrap, and sets the egg on whatever else is on the plate.

Edited April 29, 2006 by Wolfert (log)

[Dianne]

I have been following Ms. Wolfert's directions, which I clipped from some magazine, for a couple of years now. The resulting eggs are delicious and the method is brilliant.

[rxrfrx]

I was wondering about the safety of boiling cling film in contact with food. It doesnt melt or give any off flavours but i'm still a little concerned. Anyone know about the safety of this?

←

You're probably OK as long as you're using a 100% polyethylene plastic wrap like Glad. Other brands containing pthalate plasticizers and other flexibility-enhancing compounds have been potentially linked to disruption of the endocrine system. Avoid Reynolds and Saran.

[Ann_T]

I tried this method this morning. It worked wonderfully for me. I love my poached eggs on the hard side. But I over cooked the two I made for my husband so I fed those to our dog and quickly cooked two more for him but used the traditional method of poaching them right in the water. It was quicker to do this than to start over with the plastic wrap. But I'll definitely try this again though and just time it a little better.

Ann

Edited April 30, 2006 by Ann_T (log)

[percyn]

A while bag I posted my plastic cling wrap poached eggs on the breakfast thread.

You take some plastic wrap, double it up, spray with vegetable oil, place in a shallow cup or bowl, then crack an egg in it and twist and tie the ends. Poach it in simmering water (too hot and the plastic will melt).

Edited April 29, 2006 by percyn (log)

[The Old Foodie]

Hello everyone,

I'm very new around here, but this thread has me very intrigued. I ask - why bother poaching in plastic wrap? Why not just poach? This method sounds like fun, and the eggs do look interesting, but the method doesn't avoid the fat, which for some people is the reason for poaching rather than frying - although personally I'd take the risk of duck fat over the possibility of melted plastic wrap any day.

It just struck me as I was writing this - isn't there something slightly weird about taking an item of food which comes already supplied with its own perfect container, removing that container, and re-wrapping the item in plastic to cook it?

Here is a different idea, from Eliza Acton's Modern Cookery (1845)

TO COOK EGGS IN THE SHELL, WITHOUT BOILING THEM.

(An admirable receipt.)

This mode of dressing eggs is not new, it seems, indeed, to have been known in years long past, but not to have received the attention which its excellence deserved. We saw it mentioned with much commendation in a most useful little periodical, called the Cottage Gardener, and had it tested immediately with various modifications and with entire success. After many trials, we give the following as the best, and most uniform in its results, of our numerous experiments. First, put some boiling water into a large basin – a slop basin for example – and let it remain for a few seconds, then turn it out, lay in the egg (or eggs), and roll it over, to take the chill off the shell, that it may not crack from the sudden application of heat; and pour in – and upon the egg – quite boiling water from the kettle, until it is completely immersed; put a plate over it instantly and let it remain, upon the table, for twelve minutes, when it will be found perfectly and beautifully cooked, entirely free from all flavour and appearance of rawness, and yet so lightly and delicately dressed as to suit even persons who cannot take eggs at all when boiled in the usual way.

Obs. – This is one of the receipts which we have reproduced here from our cookery for invalids, on account of its adaptation to the taste generally.

I haven't tried Eliza's method (yet), but I have been enjoying the admirable receipt for Oeufs Mollet from Damien Pignolet's new book "French". I can post the recipe if anyone is interested.

[Kerry Beal]

I haven't tried Eliza's method (yet), but I have been enjoying the admirable receipt for Oeufs Mollet from Damien Pignolet's new book "French". I can post the recipe if anyone is interested.

←

Yes please!

I'm going to try the eggs in boiling water 'receipt'. I assume I would start with eggs at room temp as they likely would not have been refridgerated at the time that periodical was written.

[Kerry Beal]

Hello everyone,

I'm very new around here, but this thread has me very intrigued. I ask - why bother poaching in plastic wrap? Why not just poach? This method sounds like fun, and the eggs do look interesting, but the method doesn't avoid the fat, which for some people is the reason for poaching rather than frying - although personally I'd take the risk of duck fat over the possibility of melted plastic wrap any day. 

It just struck me as I was writing this - isn't there something slightly weird about taking an item of food which comes already supplied with its own perfect container, removing that container, and re-wrapping the item in plastic to cook it? 

Here is a different idea, from Eliza Acton's Modern Cookery (1845)

TO COOK EGGS IN THE SHELL, WITHOUT BOILING THEM.

(An admirable receipt.)

This mode of dressing eggs is not new, it seems, indeed, to have  been known in years long past, but not to have received the attention which its excellence deserved.  We saw it mentioned with much commendation in a most useful little periodical, called the Cottage Gardener, and had it tested immediately with various modifications and with entire success. After many trials, we give the following as the best, and most uniform in its results, of our numerous experiments. First, put some boiling water into a large basin – a slop basin for example – and let it remain for a few seconds, then turn it out, lay in the egg (or eggs), and roll it over, to take the chill off the shell, that it may not crack from the sudden application of heat; and pour in – and upon the egg – quite boiling water from the kettle, until it is completely immersed; put a plate over it instantly and let it remain, upon the table, for twelve minutes, when it will be found perfectly and beautifully cooked, entirely free from all flavour and appearance of rawness, and yet so lightly and delicately dressed as to suit even persons who cannot take eggs at all when boiled in the usual way.

Obs. – This is one of the receipts which we have reproduced here from our cookery for invalids, on account of its adaptation to the taste generally.

I haven't tried Eliza's method (yet), but I have been enjoying the admirable receipt for Oeufs Mollet from Damien Pignolet's new book "French". I can post the recipe if anyone is interested.

←

Just tried the 'cottage gardener' method. Egg was indeed hot all the way through, but the white was a little too soft for my taste. I think I'll try it again for 15 minutes next time and see what result I get. The egg shells did crack when I poured in the boiling water even though I had prewarmed them.

[HKDave]

Hello everyone,

I'm very new around here, but this thread has me very intrigued. I ask - why bother poaching in plastic wrap? Why not just poach?

....

Here is a different idea, from Eliza Acton's Modern Cookery (1845)

TO COOK EGGS IN THE SHELL, WITHOUT BOILING THEM.

(An admirable receipt.)

.....

←

The point of the wrap is to be able to infuse flavours into the egg (the duck fat on the wrap, the truffle oil etc), and also to be able get an egg that's poached, but at the same time very evenly shaped for presentation.

The "eggs in the shell, without boiling them" method works, and also has the benefit of eliminating that blue-green line that can appear in over-boiled eggs between the yolk and the white. But I suggest starting eggs in cold water and bringing to the boil, then immediately turning off the heat and letting them stand covered. This prevents any chance of the shell cracking from thermal shock. Make sure there's lots of water. Julia Child says let them rest 17 minutes, but I find less will do the job. You should cold shock the eggs afterward to stop the cooking.

[andiesenji]

In post #4, I mentioned and posted a link to eggs Mollet or Oeufs Mollets. Julia Child included this in Mastering the Art of French Cooking with a sub-title of six-minute boiled eggs, as a substitue for poached eggs.

I have been preparing eggs this way since the book was published (in 1961) and they are terrific. The only tricky part is peeling the eggs without tearing the set but soft whites. They can be prepared ahead of time, refrigerated and warmed by immersing in a bowl of hot water using a broad, slotted spoon or ladle to keep from tearing the whites.

I used to make shredded potato nests (deep fried in the neat little instrument that forms and holds the potatoes) which were placed on top of grilled thin steaks and filled with two eggs Mollet. This makes a very pretty presentation.

Edited April 30, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Jensen]

Just tried the 'cottage gardener' method.  Egg was indeed hot all the way through, but the white was a little too soft for my taste.  I think I'll try it again for 15 minutes next time and see what result I get.  The egg shells did crack when I poured in the boiling water even though I had prewarmed them.

←

When I was very young, my mum often made soft-cooked eggs for breakfast. Her technique was to put the eggs in a measuring cup (a bowl would work) and then fill it with the hottest water the tap could produce. The eggs sat in that water while the pot of water on the stove came to a boil.

Perhaps that would help prevent cracking for your next attempt?

[The Old Foodie]

Hello Kerry Beal and everyone.

Here is recipe from Damien Pignolet.

Oeufs Mollet (Eggs with creamy Yolks)

To cook a mollet egg it should be chilled and pierced before being plunged into boiling water and simmered for exactly five minutes for a standard 60 gm egg, Stop the cooking by placing the egg under cold running water for several minutes. Shelling requires carea nd patience and is easier if done under cold running water. The eggs are firm but can split, so my trick is to line an egg-shell carton with cling wrap and stand the eggs up in it to support their form then chill until needed. .

He suggests you pierce the blunt end of the egg with a needle.

I would add that you need a large pan of water to ensure that it doesn't go too far off the boil when you add the cold eggs.

You can reheat them by putting them in simmering water for a minute.

I generally use 70g eggs and cook them 6 minutes for my husband and 6 1/2 for myself, as I get nervous around wobbly egg white.

Next I'm going to try his Tiny Omelette of Goat's cheese and Pine Nuts.

Postscript: thanks to the two kind e-Gulleters who drew my attention to the fact that my original posting was longer than 100 words, so breaching the Fair Use code. It is now edited to an acceptable length!

Edited May 1, 2006 by The Old Foodie (log)