Why It Works. Straining eggs in a fine-mesh strainer removes excess wispy, loose whites, creating tight, perfectly-shaped eggs. Poaching at a 180°F (82°C) sub-simmer means fewer disturbances in the water, and cleaner, more tender cooking.
Straining your raw eggs for about a minute in a fine mesh sieve allows any runny whites to pass through, leaving only the firmer part of the white behind. It makes a perfectly shaped poached egg. Added bonus: When you strain your eggs, you won't have to add any vinegar to the water.
The swirling water will help prevent the white from "feathering," or spreading out in the pan. Let it poach: Turn off the heat, cover the pan and set your timer for 5 minutes.
"Vinegar is an inherently acidic material, so if we add a few drops of vinegar into that boiling water that is going to increase the rate of denaturing and it's going to make that happen faster and help the poached egg hold its shape better."
The main reason for adding vinegar to the water when poaching eggs is because the acid in the vinegar helps to coagulate the whites in the egg more quickly resulting in them cooking quicker as well.
When water heats the egg, that air pocket expands and creates pressure inside the shell, which can crack it. Piercing it will relieve this pressure. Especially in older eggs—which are better for boiling because they are easier to peel—as they have more gas inside the shell and so crack more readily.
You can poach an egg without vinegar by substituting with lemon Juice! It might give your egg a slight lemony flavor, but lemon juice serves the same purpose as vinegar when poaching eggs.
The right water temperature is key to poached egg success. Water not hot enough = eggs dissolve into water before they set = murky pot of milky water. Boiling too rapidly = egg jiggles around too much and causes the whites to disintegrate.
According to her post, the only way to ensure you get "beautiful, richer eggs" every time is to strain them through a sieve before you cook them. She says it helps remove any water from the egg, leaving behind only the egg white and yolk and guaranteeing your scramble comes out perfect.
Simply bring a pot of water to a boil and add vinegar, salt, and pepper — then use a whisk to create a strong whirlpool. Crack your egg directly into the swirl, then let it poach for 90 seconds to two minutes.
When you hard cook an egg, this air heats up, expands, and escapes through pores in the shell—but not before the egg white sets. This leaves the egg with a flattened end. Pricking the egg provides a quick escape route for the air, which gives you an egg with a smoothly rounded end.
For super smooth, lump-free scrambles, strain your eggs through a fine mesh sieve after beating them and finish them with crème fraîche. This will help break up the yolks and whites and get rid of any imperfections. (Because nothing is worse than eating scrambled eggs with a little bit of shell in them.)
Olive oil-poached eggs are extra-rich
When poached in olive oil, according to Lifehacker, eggs turn out extra rich — like a fried egg, but with a soft, creamy yolk. Plenty of chefs are fans of poaching eggs in olive oil.
A really soft poached egg should take around 2 minutes and a soft-to-firm one will need 4 minutes (it depends on the size of the egg and whether you're using it straight from the fridge). To check if it's done, carefully remove your egg from the pan with a slotted spoon and give it a gentle prod with a teaspoon.
Using the pin, poke a small hole on the larger end of the egg. When the water is boiling, use the slotted spoon to lower the eggs into the pot. Let the eggs boil for 4-6 minutes (5 minutes for soft yolk, 4 minutes for runny). Remove the eggs with the slotted spoon.
Keeping Hard-Boiled Eggs Fresh
For maximum freshness, leave them in their shells until you are ready to eat or prepare. The shell will help to protect the egg from bacteria, and can help prevent them from absorbing odors from other foods in your refrigerator.
Add one tablespoon of light-colored vinegar to the pot and stir to create a vortex. Pour the ramekin with the egg into the middle of the vortex and set a timer for 3 minutes. Once the egg is done, use a slotted spoon to remove the poached egg.
To make the best possible poached eggs, bring the eggs to room temperature before poaching. This is because cold eggs will lower the temperature of the water and slow the cooking process.