Cooking more than one poached egg at a time

[Susan Caie]

I know all the theory behind poaching eggs but how do i do two at a time in the same pan. If I swirl the water the first on has a lovley shape, but what do you do with the second egg use a new pan or swirl agin but that upsets the first egg?? Help please.

[dougal]

I think one pro 'cheat' is to cook one at a time (to fractionally undercooked) and then immediately chill it in cold water, before going on to the next.

The cold eggs can then be trimmed to neaten them, and, when the time comes, reheated (several at a time) by popping them into hot water for 30 seconds or so ...

[JAZ]

I regularly poach two eggs at a time; they almost always come out perfectly. Here's how I do it.

I have a saucepan that holds just over a quart. I fill it about 3/4 full and add 1 tablespoon of salt and half a tablespoon of vinegar, then bring the water to about 200-210 degrees (hot but not boiling). I've never found that swirling the water does anything but tear the whites apart, and the same thing happens if the water is actually boiling.

Meanwhile, I take a small fine strainer and place it over a custard cup, crack one egg into it and let it drain for a few minutes. The thin part of the white will drain out. Toss that out (it's what turns into the wispy threads that cloud up the water) and return the egg to the cup. Repeat with the other egg.

When the water is at the right temp, carefully slide the eggs into the water and set the timer for 3-3.5 minutes (if the eggs are at room temp, I go with 3, if cold a few seconds longer.)

If I'm doing more than two, I usually do as Dougal suggested -- chill and reheat.

[nickrey]

I do swirl the water.

Use very fresh eggs. Harold McGee also suggested the process outlined by Jaz: cracking the eggs into a sieve and letting the loose albumin flow away before cooking.

The trick I've found is to use a deep pan (around 10 inches deep). Bring the water to a low simmmer with some vinegar in the water. If you add salt at this time, the eggs tend to pit.

Crack an egg into a small container (I use a small ramekin). Swirl the water with a balloon whisk (I swirl it quite vigorously and let it settle down before adding the egg, which tends to even out any random eddys that may have formed in the water).

Put the edge of the container right next to the centre of the swirling water and let the egg slide into the centre of the gently swirling water. If you drop it from any higher, is likely to break up. Crack the next egg into the container (by the time you do this, the first egg will have wrapped around itself). Slide the second egg into the centre of the still gently swirling water. It will wrap separately around itself.

The eggs will float up the water in the pan as they cook. Use a strainer to bring the eggs out of the water and press gently next to the yolk to check doneness. Take the eggs out slightly before they reach the desired level of doneness as they will continue to cook when removed from the water. Drain the eggs on a tea towel or kitchen paper. Trim off any loose egg white if you want a restaurant type presentation. Salt and serve.

As already said, if you are cooking large amounts of eggs, you can arrest the cooking process by putting them into iced water. Return them briefly to the simmering water to reheat before draining and serving.

Edited to correct typo.

Edited September 12, 2010 by nickrey (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Tear off a sheet of Saran wrap and fold into a square. Spray with cooking spray then tuck into a ramekin or espresso cup oiled side up. Break raw eggs into the container and then tie up plastic wrap neatly with a knot, tightening so you have a perfectly round little egg bag. Make as many as you need then drop the little egg bags into boiling water. Set timer for 3 minutes 45 seconds. Pull out the egg bags when the timer goes off and plunge into ice water, if not using immediately. Snip plastic just above the knot and you have a perfect poached egg. These keep well in the fridge for a couple of days and can be reheated by dipping into boiling water in a ladle for about 30 seconds.

[Snadra]

Tear off a sheet of Saran wrap and fold into a square. Spray with cooking spray then tuck into a ramekin or espresso cup oiled side up. Break raw eggs into the container and then tie up plastic wrap neatly with a knot, tightening so you have a perfectly round little egg bag. Make as many as you need then drop the little egg bags into boiling water. Set timer for 3 minutes 45 seconds. Pull out the egg bags when the timer goes off and plunge into ice water, if not using immediately. Snip plastic just above the knot and you have a perfect poached egg. These keep well in the fridge for a couple of days and can be reheated by dipping into boiling water in a ladle for about 30 seconds.

Because my local shops still don't sell eggs out of a cooler the eggs tend to get runny whites quite quickly. Katie's method is hands-down foolproof and I love it. They're not quite as pretty as a free-form one done with a super-fresh egg, but they work!

[Fat Guy]

My system for getting two good poached eggs is to poach at least three eggs. If you follow all the other general guidelines of poaching, you usually get two out of three and sometimes you do better. Eggs are so cheap that, whenever I poach, I poach extras. The extras can be refrigerated in ice water and reheat very well.

Most people I know who rely on the vortex method are using too little water.

[nickrey]

As said above, I swirl the water and use a deep pan (around 8-10 inches of water).

Made some this morning and chilled after cooking so I thought I'd include a picture. These were cooked two at a time in swirling water (you can cook up to four using this method and still get the same results; any more and the timing tends to be more difficult). They have not been trimmed for presentation, this is just how they always turn out. I did trim down the frilly edges on the one on the right to make it more presentable

[nickrey]

(the trimming was done after the picture was taken).

[Snadra]

I'm feeling very envious Nick! I haven't made a poached egg that looks like this since we kept chickens. I might have to try some experimenting again.

At least experimenting with poached eggs is cheaper than the same with poached lobster...

ETA: That is, bar the plastic wrap trick.

Edited September 16, 2010 by Snadra (log)

[ChickenStu]

When I do conventional poached eggs, I let a little bit of simmering water get into the bowl/ramekin/what have you and start setting the white before i drop it into the pot. Just for a few seconds, seems to help a bit.

Tall pots help a lot though.

[percival]

Sous vide them, in the shell. 150 Fahrenheit or so for at least an hour, plus/minus depending on how set you like your whites. There are charts availalble to show what temp equals what hardness. Whether you're doing one, two, or a dozen, they'll all come out the same. Plus you can serve in the shell, or traditional, with a lot less mess and wateriness. If you're patient and lack the hardware, you can always simmer with a drop-in thermometer and control the flame manually.

[andiesenji]

I have to admit that I cheat when I have to prepare several poached eggs at the same time.

I use the French perforated metal (tinned steel) poachers that are like the ones my grandmother used.

Combrichon egg poacher

I have at last a dozen, some purchased many years ago, some from Fantes.com - to replace those that may have rusted or gotten a bit ratty looking.

I have a deep roasting pan that can be used on the stovetop and it will hold ten of these poachers.

You can transfer the poached eggs to cold water and re-heat them in warm water if you have a lot of people to serve.

I've tried just about every method and type of egg poacher and keep returning to the metal ones. They contain 99% of the white and produce a neat result with little effort on my part.

The floating silicone "Poaching Pods" were okay but to me seemed to impart a chemical flavor. However, I may be a supertaster and other people did not notice it so it may have been just me.

Apparently Crate&Barrel has one that hangs on the side of a pan and it is non-stick.

Ah, something new to consider adding to my collection.....

Edited September 16, 2010 by andiesenji (log)

[Pam Brunning]

I have tried everything - salt - vinegar - swirling and nothing was very good, then someone said put the eggs into the pan first and it works for me. Get the water to just under boiling, take the eggs out of the fridge (don’t anyone tell me not to keep eggs in the fridge - it is the only proper way to keep eggs if you want to keep them fresh for more than a day or two) put them into the hot water for a few seconds - don’t leave them long enough to crack - take them out then break them into the simmering water. They will stay together perfectly - I do two every morning to go with my smoked haddock.

[fiftydollars]

Eff the vortex method. Go with a lot of water... like a 20 plus quart stock pot's worth of water. Heavily salted and a little vinegared. Think TK's method for vegetables, plus a little vinegar. By the time the eggs hit the bottom they will have set into the right shape, perfect. And with that much water and thermal mass you can do a dozen as easily as one or three.

[nickrey]

For those with a sous vide setup.

Full description and step-by-step pictures at this link.

Basically an Onsen egg that has been dipped in simmering water to harden the egg white. The egg can be prepared in advance and refrigerated in the shell. Finishing reheating can be done within a few minutes.

In essence, you could do as many as would fit in the pan.

If I didn't work so hard to perfect poached eggs, this could have become my new favourite method.

Edited October 18, 2011 by nickrey (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Every time I have attempted poached eggs that aren't "contained" as they are in the plastic wrap method, I have ended up with weak vinegar flavored egg drop soup. I have tried the vortex method, etc. I just don't do well with poaching eggs out of their shells. The Saran wrap trick is foolproof for those of us that don't own a sous vide set up or have issues with "free form" poached eggs. I freely admit it's a cheat, but one that works like a charm for my egg challenged self.

[Hassouni]

Does the Saran wrap not melt or do anything like that?