Pick the method that’s right for you!
If you're checking out recipes, we've done some work reviewing them to point out some of the hidden things that are being taken for granted and not communicated.
2-Minute Poached Egg
Gordon Ramsay
What to watch for
To begin with, a 4qt pot takes 15+ minutes to bring to a boil on a crappy electric stove. If you don't take this into account while making breakfast, it's going to throw your whole game off, create stress, and now you're doing the recipe with the lowest time/room for error. He says "a rolling boil" -- the difference between a rolling boil (203-206C) and a volcano (212c) is a very fine line that's going to require a bit of practice. The level of fine-detail with temperature is going to matter, because the difference between an egg with a soft exterior, and a rubbery one is going to be a matter of seconds, even if the yolk is runny in both cases.
Kitchenware & method
- gas stove -- look at that rolling boil, look at that control, but really less of an issue when you're cooking at warp speed.
- vessel -- sauce pan, 4 quarts, nice bit of depth, and lots of room for your egg
- whisk -- a very intense swirl makes or breaks this one, when combined with the rolling boil
- slotted spoon -- few mention this, but it makes life way easier
- strain -- nope
- vinegar -- tarragon! and eyeballs the amount.
- salt -- AND pepper!
- egg quality -- no mention
- Insertion -- crack-on-the-pan, straight-in: no guts, no glory
Verdict
If you can commit to the power stir, you've got control of your heat situation, no distractions, and nerves of steel, this is your recipe
The Cautious Thinker
Alton Brown
What to watch for
Alton does a great job explaining just about everything discussed on this site, with two exceptions -- maintaining exact heat is something that requires a bit of extra attention, and again, egg age is no substitute for a high-quality egg. More often than not, in the the rush to boil your water, you're going to overshoot the ideal 190F/90C temperature, and your timing will go wrong. This will be made worse if you're not working with gas or induction. Last thing to note is that with a shallow pan, you are running the risk of cooking your egg as it's going to make contact with the bottom, this makes for a slightly more rubbery white than you might be after. On the other hand, it's less likely to fall apart when being handled. He is not kidding about those bubbles causing divots in your egg, btw.
Kitchenware & method
- Stove -- gas, always helps with control
- Vessel -- non-stick pan we're taking it easy on our eggs
- Stir -- no way!
- Ruler! -- save a trip to the store (1.5 inches of water in a 10-inch skillet is 1400ml)
- Vinegar -- 1 Tbsp (I have tried this without, it's not a deal-breaker)
- Slotted spoon -- standard
- Insertion -- custard cups, nice & easy
Verdict
This is a great, no-stress, safe recipe for beginners, and a pan of water will be ready for your eggs much faster than 4 quarts of water, if your stove is underpowered.
The Indelible America's Test kitchen
Bridget Lancaster
What to watch for
This recipe is very close to Alton's (or vice versa), but with bit of a twist for making 8 eggs at a time. One significant thing here the 130USD pan she's using is going to do a better job holding heat than your run-of-the-mill situation. Also, it's a 12-inch skillet, which is also deeper that's going to make a difference with your vinegar ratio if you've got a smaller pan, and again, a larger volume will hold heat better. That heavy, metal lid is also going to make a difference holding in heat. I have the 10-inch all-clad, and used a 10-inch glass lid from a pot, and my time went to a little over 6 minutes, where she recommends 5. Finally, this method is going to give you a very soft (and wonderful) white, so you have to take care on removing it from the pan, it can be right on the edge of falling apart.
Kitchenware & method
- Stove -- gas, negated by taking pan off the burner
- Vessel -- pan 12 inch AllClad with lid. The king of pans.
- Stir -- not needed!
- Vinegar -- 2 tbsp
- Salt -- yes, but "for seasoning", no claims of alchemy
- Slotted spoon -- a pattern emerges
- Insertion -- 2-at-at-time from teacups -- legend! (it works!)
Verdict
A nice chilled-out model of experience that contrasts with Gordon's approach, great if you've got a few people over. Make sure to do a dry run with your pan & lid before, though, to get your timings right.
A pragmatic approach
Jacques Pepin
What to watch for
There is a lot of info, options, and deviations in this one (like getting a recipe from mom). When it gets down to it, he's accepted that there's no one way to do things. Hits the nail on the head: "eggs from your own chicken are better ... from the store .. problems". A low temperature, a deep pan, and he also "works" his eggs. This manages the problem of the eggs cooking on the bottom of the pan. Also, he tests his egg by touching them to check for done-ness. While a lot of recipes rely on timing which I think a lot of professional chef recipes use as a crutch for not being able to communicate that they can "see" when an egg is done by looking at it (or other experienced senses).
Kitchenware & method
- Stove -- Gas!
- Pan -- Deep!
- Slotted spoon -- for tending to your eggs
- Timer -- Yeah, but no -- a bit more "use the force"
- Vinegar -- Don't hold back
- Salt -- nope
- Swirl -- not needed
- Strain -- not with eggs from your own chicken
Verdict
This method might be a bit too inexact for a beginner, but it's probably the most useful in terms of providing you a method that's adaptive. Great if you have busy hands, need to feel like you're cooking, and can't just put a lid on it and leave it alone for a few minutes.
The best of the rest
David Chang
What to watch for
This one's not in the best list only because it's technically coddling. Well, also because 45 minutes! I mean, who has that kind of time in the morning. To be fair, the results are amazing, but for most people, the America's test kitchen method is going to be close enough, that the marginal improvement is not worth the time.
Kitchenware & method
- Vessel -- saucepan (or pot)
- Thermometer -- 63c/165F is essential. Anything over, and you're dead
- Steaming basket -- or other way to keep the eggs off the bottom of your pot
- Timer -- absolutely
- Everything else -- fuggeddaboutit.
Verdict
If you want extra, and you've got the time, and patience definitely worth doing.
The psychopath
Adam Garratt
What to watch for
This one starts off well-enough, but then gets a bit crazy, going into a total of four methods, each a bit more inventive than the next. I'm going to admit that I tried some of these long ago. Intuitively, they kind of make sense as "fixes" for problems I've had with eggs falling apart, especially. This approach to problem-solving is called "thrashing" -- just trying random things to solve the outcome rather than taking a step back to look at the source of the problem. Kudos for hitting on the "different strokes" philosophy.
Kitchenware & method
- Stove -- Gas!
- Pan -- Deep!
- Spoon -- Slotted, or not
- Timer -- depends on the method
- Vinegar -- nope!
- Salt -- nope
- Swirl -- definitely, or not
- Strain -- nope
- Cling film -- not kidding
- Ladle -- (for cooking in)
- Vegetable oil -- (for the ladle, duh)
- Ramekin -- one of the methods is technically coddling
Verdict
If you're considering one of these alternative techniques, a reboot is likely in order. Take a deep breath, a think about your cooking environment, your approach, and try again when you're not stressed.
