Michelin star chef Paul Foster has years of experience in the kitchen behind him and has revealed a common mistake people often make when cooking poached eggs. In fact, it is so common that even he was told to do it in his early years of training, but has since discovered it can stop you from achieving the “perfect poached egg”.
The chef explained that you don’t need gimmicks or unusual techniques to perfect your egg, you only need a pan of water and a sprinkle of salt.
“I’m going to show you how to make the perfect poached egg. I know it’s a nemesis for a lot of people,” Paul explained in a video which he posted on his TikTok page @paulfosterchef.
The one thing he says you “do not” need to do is add vinegar. “Whatever people tell you, you do not need it,” he urged.
He added: “Now I was shown when I was a young chef to use vinegar but I’ve learned a better way. This is a better way.”
Paul says that all you need is one of your freshest eggs at room temperature, a pan of water and some salt.
He recommends beginning by dropping your egg into a sieve to get rid of “the watery bits of the white”.
The chef continued: “[A] Boiling pan of water, sits nice and deep, turn it down to just under the boil. Give it a stir, you don’t need to whisk it and create a vortex.
“The stir just helps it to move so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan so the protein can set and it won’t stick to the pan. It curls up just lovely.” [SIC]
At this point, Paul sets a timer for two minutes, though he says this will not be enough time to cook the egg. Instead, it serves as a reminder to monitor your egg more closely from this point.
“Do you see how that water is not boiling? There is no vinegar in there, it’s not gone all scummy, it’s not going to taste like crap,” he said.
After two minutes, the chef notes his egg is still a little too raw, and allows it to cook for a further 30 seconds at the same temperature making sure not to let it bubble up and boil.
Paul explained: “Don’t be tempted to turn it up and start boiling it. See it’s still just standing there.”
Paul’s recipe takes approximately two minutes and 30 seconds to cook. Once you are satisfied with your egg, it’s time to remove the egg and place it on a paper towel.
“Drain it off on some paper, never put it straight on toast because it’s just going to make the toast soggy,” said the chef. “Now is your chance to season it. A little bit of sea salt, finish it with I like some cracked black pepper or cracked white pepper with my eggs. And that is all you need.
“Now the excess water has drained off I’m just going to put it on a plate but for you, you can put it on toast, bacon, avocado, whatever you like.”
He continued: “You can see it is cut through and a perfect poached egg. You don’t need a microwave, you don’t need one of those stupid egg poachers, no vinegar in, that is a perfectly cooked runny yolk and a nice soft white. You can’t get better than that. “
