How to Save Money With Perfect Poached Eggs

Today we are all looking for ways to lower the cost of our foods while maintaining good nutrition. Modern eggs from chickens fed healthy foods are an excellent source of protein, heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids and over 300 other nutrients necessary for health and growth. And they are far less expensive than other good protein sources such as meats, seafood, and poultry. Using poached eggs, which need no fat in the cooking process in entre dishes is a great way to save money while serving healthy, nutritious, protein rich meals. Each egg contains 6 grams of perfect protein ready for your body to use for growth or repair. Eggs can be poached and kept in water in the fridge for a day or two and added for reheating to a dish in minutes. A piece of whole grain or multi grain toast covered in roasted veggies, topped with a poached egg and drizzled with a warm vinaigrette makes an elegant and inexpensive meal that is packed with good nutrition. Or use pasta or rice instead of the toast... Top Mac and Cheese with a poached egg to boost the protein content. Topping a salad with a poached egg turns it into a meal. How about a baked potato and veggies left over from last night's dinner topped with a poached egg and a little cheese sauce? The possibilities are endless.. but first you need to have that Perfect Poached Egg. Here is how

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Add about two inches of water to a pan that is large enough to accommodate the eggs you wish to poach without crowding.

2. To each quart of water add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of vinegar or apple cider vinegar. The eggs will not absorb either but the salt will raise the boiling point of the water and the vinegar will keep the egg white together so you will have a nice compact poached egg... not one with egg white floating off all over the pan.

3. Bring the water to a gently simmer... not a rolling boil. You want to just see the water moving on the surface.

4. Crack each egg into a small bowl or coffee cup and gently slide it into the water. While you are cracking the next egg the water will come back up to temp. Make sure the water surface is once again moving a little before you add your next egg.

5. Do not add your eggs right next to each other. Make a star pattern in the pan. That way by the time you come back to where you added your first egg, it will have already had time to set the white and your eggs will not stick together.

6. When you have added your last egg turn the water down until you just see a gently movement on top of the water. Vigorous boiling will bounce your eggs around and they will get torn up. A very gently simmer will keep them in neat little packages while they cook.

7. Put a cover on the pan and cook the eggs to the desired state of doneness. If you want the yolk to be very runny you will only cook the eggs a couple of minutes. For firmer yolks cook them longer. The cover will allow the steam to cook the tops of the eggs. You can gently touch the top of the yolk and feel the firmness to judge its doneness.

8. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon. If you are not serving them immediately, place them in a bowl of ice water and store them in the fridge. You can re-heat them in simmering water in minutes for service. Or just drain them and serve them immediately.

9. This method will give you Perfect Poached Eggs each and every time. Use them for wonderful breakfasts or be creative and serve them as the main course for lunch or supper. And it is hard to find a less expensive protein for a main dish. One of my families favorites is pasta, asparagus, and alfredo sauce topped with a poached egg and some shaved Parmesan cheese. The love the same dish with chicken breast... but the poached egg costs much less and lets us enjoy the dish more often.

10. Enjoy,
    
    Angel

Tips & Warnings

• use the freshest eggs you have to poach
• if you overcook them... all is not lost.. just let them cook until the yolk is solid and when cool use them as you would a hard boiled egg... egg salad or chopped as a garnish...

[brandy1123]

on 8/13/2009 great tip

[klnygaard]

on 6/15/2009 last time i tried to poach an egg, it came out fried- I totally messed up- will try it this way- thanks for instructions

[xopinkdiamondz]

on 5/27/2009 Sounds delicious! Good article! 5* and a rec.

[MidniteWriter]

on 5/21/2009 I've been craving eggs lately, wonder what's up?

[chava812]

on 4/21/2009 This is WONDERFUL!!! Thanks for adding in how to ensure the yolk is still runny, and that these can be reheated. I prefer poached over boiled but didn't know I could have this as readily available if cooked and stored properly... KUDOS!!!