Eggs | Frying, Basting & Poaching

I have seen a couple of presentations for boiling or simmering water that say to start with cold water. Why? If you are just going to heat the water, why not start with hot water?

What is the best way to reheat a poached egg so as not to cook it more? How long can you keep them in the refrigerator after they're poached?

Good questions. Not such an obvious answer.

SOME... believe that hot water can absorb bad flavors from sitting inside a hot water tank for a long period of time. I'm sure that most of the newer tanks are okay, but any Italian will always tell you to start with cold water when cooking pasta because pasta absorbs water to cook.

Eggs, as you know now, are porous and can also absorb moisture through the shell. This is why we suggest starting with cold water. In the end it's not going to make a really big deal, just a good practice that's been handed down by many chefs.

A cooked and immediately cooled poach egg (in an ice bath), will be fine in the fridge in water for 1 to 2 days - a very common practice in even high-end volume restaurants. Just remember, you want to just undercook it a bit before icing.

To reheat, simply place them into simmering water for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes for a large egg. All you are trying to do is reheat them and by the time they reheat to the middle, the egg should finish cooking.

In case you missed it, here's a short video. Great time saver and work ahead solution.

http://rouxbe.com/drilldowns/21

Hello!
I am so excited tonight.

May I just share that I have cooked the most perfect sunny-side up egg for dinner!
=D
My father will be so pleased because it's exactly how he likes it, with a runny yolk.

Thanks to all who's working hard at Rouxbe.
Cooking really is less initimidating when it has been explained properly.
Keep the good work going!

The video explains to use clarified butter for use with pan-frying eggs, yet occasionally they refer to a similar looking liquid as "fat."
I am assuming this is just another term for butter or clarified butter?

You are correct we are just referring to the clarified butter as "fat".
Technically you can use whole butter or oil if you prefer.

The clarified butter just makes for nice pristine looking eggs (no specks from the milk solids that whole butter can sometimes leave behind). Oil would also work, however you will not get the same flavor that the clarified butter adds.

Hope this helps!

What difference does poaching in clarified butter make beyond presentation? Does it make a difference in the taste at all?

Also, how do you make and store clarified butter? It looks like you need a lot of butter to poach eggs and I would hate to see that butter have a one-time use unless I am making a lot of eggs. Can I store clarified butter? If not, how can I use the clarified butter for meals made later that day (after breakfast) or can I use them to enhance other breakfast items like pancakes or waffles?

The taste of eggs poached in clarified butter is quite sensational, also the texture of the eggs adds to the experience. They are just a bit more luxurious I suppose.

As for how to make and store clarified butter here is a Drill-down showing you how it's done http://rouxbe.com/drilldowns/146

Clarified butter will keep for sometime and it can be re-used after you poach the eggs....strain it if there are any floaties! And yes you can use it to enhance other things such as pancakes or waffles if you like.

Clarified butter can be used much like oil...only it has the added bonus of tasting like butter. The advantage of clarified butter is that the milk solids and impurities have been removed, which is what causes butter to burn (or get those little dark flecks).

Hope this helps! Try the poached eggs in clarified butter at least once, it's worth it just to watch them cook :-)

I couldn't figure out why my eggs kept looking like a basted egg. They didn't come out like they had in the video - nice and round. That is because I didn't use a small vessel to put the egg in the water. This was a necessary step.

The vessel is not totally necessary. In fact, I made 30 poached eggs this weekend (for a birthday brunch) and I simply cracked the eggs directly into the water.

The thing to keep in mind with the videos, is that they are visual guidelines. By this, I mean you may not always (myself included) get the exact same result (at least not always) that we did. That is the beauty of cooking the small little variables can slightly change things, like what something looks like. The things that could have affected how your eggs looked could be temperature of the eggs, their freshness...etc etc.

Cooking is about practicing more than anything. If everyone practiced poaching eggs until they were blue in the face, I can pretty much guarantee that each person in the end would have slightly different results and methods. But with that practice would come confidence and a deeper understanding of what it takes to properly and consistently poach an egg with success.

Hope this helps Rosi. Good luck and happy poaching.

Hey Team,

So I'm a bit confused. In the wet heating lessons, you say that the poaching temperature is 160-180 degrees and simmering is 195-205 degrees, but then in the poaching eggs lesson, you say that the eggs should be dropped in just below a gentle simmer, which you say in the latter video is just below 200. IF it should be dropped in just below a simmer, shouldn't it be below 195, and in either case, shouldn't it be dropped in once the temperature is in the poaching range?

Thanks for the help.

Robert

Hi Robert,

The water needs to be closer to a simmering temperature to quickly set the egg whites, but the cold temperature of the eggs (especially when cooking a few at the same time) will immediately lower the water temperature closer to 180 F, or poaching temperature, to gently coagulate the interior of the egg. If you are just poaching one egg, then you can also turn the heat down after the egg has been submerged.

Terms can sometimes be a bit confusing - just like "boiled" eggs. Technically, eggs are not boiled (but rather simmered), but who refers to them as simmered eggs? :) Hope this helps!

I've tried red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and regular white vinegar, and so far besides a slight variety to the taste, I haven't seen much difference. So I was wondering, is there any difference in the outcome depending what type of vinegar used with the cold water method for poaching eggs?

Thanks!

It's the acid that makes this technique work so any acid should work equally well. Nice to see you are testing though. This is how you become a great cook - through experimenting and taking notes.

The lesson briefly mentions that the skimmed milk solids from making clarified butter can be used but are usually discarded. What can they be used for?

Here is another thread that asks (and answers) that same question. Cheers!

Why is salt always added to boiling water? Like when cooking pasta or eggs, salt is added to the boiling water, why is that? What does it do for and to the food?

Salt is added during the cooking process to bring out and enhance the flavor of food. It should not be used only at the end of the cooking process. For more information, we have a great lesson on How to Season with Salt in the Cooking School. Cheers!

But remember be careful when adding salt to your scrambled eggs when cooking as you can make them watery and tough. It is better to add salt after they are cooked.

Good advice John, we say this in the lesson as well. Cheers!

I am using an induction stainless steel pan on an electric burner. Is there a technique for frying eggs so they do not stick or brown? I understand that a easy solution would be to use a non-stick pan but one that I would like to avoid because of the teflon.

Perhaps the Rouxbe gurus have a magic formula for making eggs in stainless steel without them sticking or turning brown...

Failing in that, however, how about using a good old cast iron pan? As long as it's well-seasoned (and you can season it with only a bit of fuss), it works quite well for eggs.

Whether they are fried or scrambled, etc, eggs can certainly be cooked in a stainless-steel pan. You will just need to use more fat to prevent sticking...and if you don't want any color, keep the heat relatively low. Cheers!

The three stooges are the only ones I ever saw flipping eggs. I tried it for the first time when I did the exercize for this lesson. I'm happy to report that I got it right the first time, and didn't break the yolks. It really works!

Why do some receipe say to cover the eggs wheen cooking sunnyside up?

Thank You

Some people, like myself, prefer when the thin film of the white (that covers the yolk) is cooked somewhat. This is essentially basting/steaming the egg ever so slightly. It's up to you whether or not you want to do this. Cheers!

What is a great way to keep eggs warm when you have to make it for more than one person? I tried the omlets today, one out of three turned out perfect, but when doing that or fried eggs, my husband always complains the food is cold.

Thanks!

The most important thing is to have all of your mise en place ready and to be as organized as possible. Practice practice practice and you'll gain speed and confidence. Breakfast cooks have to pump out dishes so fast that they don't have time to cool off. Push yourself each time you make breakfast and you'll improve. Cheers!

Ok. All along I thought I knew how to cook eggs. Well, I found out that didn't know jack! Thank you for a great lesson.

I just tried to make perfect hard boiled eggs and I brought the water up to a boil and added the salt, then when I added my eggs most of them popped and broke as soon as they hit the water. What am I missing here? I thought I followed the 12 minute eggs instructions.

I did bring the water back down to a simmer first. Help!

Two potential reasons Shari:

1. They are extremely cold when you add them... This is very rare that they would break from temperature but try taking the chill off them by running them under some warm water for a few seconds.

2. They were not dropped into the water carefully enough. Use a spoon and lower them into the water until they gently roll off onto the bottom of the pot.

Okay, one more possibility. The eggs just might not be fresh. In fact, I'd wager that this is the reason why now that I type it. But try these options out.

Cheers, Joe.

I agree completely with Hugh!! I THOUGHT I knew omlettes - boy, was I ever wrong! I thought I knew a little something about fried eggs - boy was I wrong again!! And - boiled eggs? Nope - wrong again!! And, I had never tried a fritatta, nor poached, nor steamed...... I really enjoy this cooking course. It has taght me so much more than I could have ever imagined! Even about the proper heating of a pan..... I could never figure out why my stainless steel pans would work great one time, then give me different results the next (sticking, etc.) and I never knew how to get the same results time and time again. I can't wait to get back home from Chile to get behind my stove and start cooking some eggs!! : ) Thanks Rouxbe!!

Thanks Joe, It was probably a combination of just out of the fridge cold eggs and they were not my freshest eggs! You knocked it out of the park! Thanks. I'll try fresher, room temp eggs today! I also LOVE all the classes, I have learned SO much!

I LOVE eggs, always have always will. My mom taught me how to cook them in a cast iron skillet. Thank you for your lesson on cooking eggs in a non-stick pan!!!! I was cooking them like you should for a cast iron skillet in a non-stick pan so they always came out OK usually good. I usually had the heat too high so I would get splattered with sizzling butter - not good. Now learning the proper technique my eggs are AWESOME! Oh yea - I also made fried eggs three times in the last few weeks and made the flip with the pan - no spatula required. I'm just so excited. Great lessons. I am having so much fun with my lessons!!! Oh yea - oh yea :-)

In the omelet lesson Rouxbe recommends a 6-8" pan. In this lesson no pan size is given. Do you recommend a larger pan size for the over-easy eggs so there is room to flip them? I was trying to estimate the pan size from the scenes where the hand is in the video over the pan and am guessing it's a pan bigger than 8" rim-to-rim, but I'm not too sure.

The pan size can be any size it just comes down to your confidence and skill level. I often use a 6" or 8" pan when cooking and flipping 2 eggs. You might want to start with and 8" and see how that goes for you. Cheers!

I though I knew how to cook eggs, but have been cooking the wrong method. I am not a member yet, will sign up soon..Thanks...

When I was a short-order cook, we used to break the thick white around the yolk (for sunny side up only) so that the entire white cooked evenly and faster. Just pulling it up a bit with two fingers immediately after you put it in the pan breaks the membrane easily and it then looks like the egg in the video that is not fresh.
This is, of course, cooking at higher temperatures en mass, although I've done it at home for those that do not want runny whites.

Is there any reason why one should not break the thick white?

Thanks,
Jim

I think you answered your own question. The thinner the whites, the faster they'll cook; however, it's not necessary to "break the egg whites". In fact, we have never heard of it. Cheers!

Thanks Dawn,

In the videos you clearly explain so many details I've been ignorant of all these years. I no longer take for granted even the the simplest things I've learned. I'm starting anew a Rouxbe.
No need to reply; I imagine you're all very busy.

I poached eggs for the first time today - they worked out very well thanks to this lesson!

I was wondering though, you mentioned that you can poach eggs in liquids other than water... Do you always add vinegar, no matter what type of liquid you are using? It seems like it would be odd to add vinegar to clarified butter for instance.

Thanks,
Sarah

No, do not add vinegar to butter when poaching eggs. You can add vinegar to other non-fat liquids, but in the case of butter, this should not be done. Cheers!

Ah, yes. Again I checked the site before I poached our morning eggs. I happily got rid of my 'egg poacher' some time ago and now can have these beauties whenever and wherever I like, not having to rely on special equipment. It is one of those dishes that teaches me patience and sharpens my ability to observe. I love it. My results are not always consistent, but I keep refreshing my memory and enjoy the experience of a nice, lazy, healthy breakfast for the two of us. I just love learning from you guys. By FAR the best way I've found to improve my cooking skills. Keep it up!!!

Just watching the video once and I understand a lot more about cooking eggs. Thank You

I'm poaching eggs in white vinegar, just below a simmer. My eggs are sometimes sticking to the bottom of my pot, but I find that adding more vinegar seems to help that. However everytime I poach eggs, I do get a residue on the pot which is next to impossible to clean. Any suggestions?

Be sure that you are using enough water so that eggs have enough room to float and not just sit on the bottom. However, with that said, this has also happened to me and you definitely need to use some elbow grease to clean the bottom of the pan afterwards. To prevent this (both the sticking and the extra work of cleaning the pan), I find that a very thin layer of oil on bottom of the pot helps. I just use a paper towel to spread the oil around and then add the water and proceed as usual. Hope this helps. Cheers!

Thanks for your comments. They were very helpful!
Julie

I love poached eggs, but always thought I needed some tool to make them well. I just followed this video and they turned out perfect! The only thing I found slightly messy was the egg whites that float away in the pan and tend to make the water murky after several eggs. Any tips for preventing that?

Sometimes the white just floats more than other times - depends on the age of the eggs etc. Besides being a bit murky, there's no need to worry about it. Cheers!

How hot should the pan be before you add the eggs when you frying them?
Does a stainless steel pan have to be hotter to kep the egg from sticking ?

It really depends on how you like your eggs. Eggs can be started on lower heat, medium heat or higher heat, each of which will produce different end results (see lesson on frying eggs for more details on this).

Stainless steel pans should be preheated before adding the fat and egg but it does not necessarily have to be super hot.

The best way to figure this out for yourself is to buy a carton of eggs and get crackin'. Practicing is the best way to learn about heat and how it affects the eggs. Cheers!

The video instructions are to put a teaspoon of water into the pan lid when basting an egg. This seems quite specific; why put the water into the lid, and not directly into the pan?

You can do either. It doesn't matter. It was just a shortcut to not have to grab another utensil. As long as the water winds up in the pan and the lid is placed over top, the eggs will cook/steam. Cheers!

I've come across another method for poaching eggs that I thought I'd share, which produces a very "clean," compact poached egg. Harold McGee suggests straining the thin albumen from the whole egg (I use a spider) prior to placing in the barely simmering water. Because the thin albumen, has been removed, no vinegar is necessary to keep the egg together. Using very fresh eggs would be important when using this method, as the size of the poached egg would be affected if too much of the viscous albumen has converted to thin albumen. Nonetheless, this makes for a very "pretty" poached egg =)