I love eggs. I particularly love a runny yolk but do not love a runny white, so I tend to favor over-medium eggs thinking poached eggs were beyond my skill set.They are not.
Thanks to Serious Eats, I found a pretty simple step-by-step process for poached eggs, which was very similar to Ruhlman's suggestions. Basically, the issue with poaching eggs is that the protein in the whites isn't consistent, so if you just break an egg into the water, there are stringy bits that get in the way of the perfect poached egg. And no need for vinegar.
Serious Eats recommended using a mesh strainer, getting out that watery material before poaching the egg. Ruhlman's technique was similar, but the mesh strainer was easier, particularly as it could be used to place the eggs in the water and pull them out again.
I gave it a go when making a warm salad from the "Poached" chapter of Ruhlman's 20 Techniques at a Sunday night dinner with the Zanns and co.
I'll need a little practice getting the egg consistently how I want it, but overall, no issues. Poached eggs. Yum!
