Poached is one of the healthiest ways to prepare eggs. They require no added fat to cook and are great for those who are watching their cholesterol.
Fill a small sauce pan with water and bring to a boil. The size of the saucepan and the size of the eggs will determine how much water you should use. You need at least a couple of inches of water in your saucepan for the poached egg whites to turn out right.
While brining the water to a boil crack an egg. You will need to separate the egg white from the yolk. You can do this one of two ways. The first way is to use an egg separator. Simply pour the egg through the separator. The white will go through the separator and into the bowl while the yolk remains in the separator. You can then discard the yolk. The second way you can separate the egg is by cracking the egg shell into two parts. Hold one part in your left hand and the other in your right. Separate the egg by transferring the egg back and forth between the two parts. Keep the yolk in the shell and allow the egg white portion to go into your bowl.
Once the water has come to a boil back the heat down to a simmer. During this step, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water.
Gently pour the separated egg white into the simmering water. If you are using more than one egg you will want to wait at least 30 seconds for the egg to begin to set before adding a second one to the saucepan. This will help keep eggs from clumping together.
Allow the egg to cook for approximately 3 minutes, If the egg starts to break up and spread around the pan, use a spoon to guide it back to the center of the pan.
When the poached egg white reaches the desired level of doneness remove it from the water with a slotted spoon.
Tips
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If you want to add salt to the egg it's best to add salt to the water as soon as it comes to a boil.
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It's hard to use an egg separator when eggs are fresh so you may have to use the other method for separation depending on the freshness of your eggs.
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The cook time for each egg will vary depending on the size of the eggs and the saucepan so you may have to experiment a few times before perfecting poached egg whites.