"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."
As it turns out, you have to add quite a bit of vinegar to have any vinegar taste transfer to the egg. I found that adding one tablespoon of a light colored vinegar didn't flavor the egg but it did help to keep the egg white together.
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.
Use a deep, large pan to poach an egg. Fill it with plenty of water and add a pinch of salt and a dash of white wine vinegar. This will help set the egg.
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.
If you soak an egg in vinegar the eggshell will absorb the acid and break down, or dissolve. The calcium carbonate will become carbon dioxide gas, which will go into the air. What is left is the soft tissue that lined the inside of the eggshell. It will bounce!
Half-fill a wide pan with boiling salted water, and bring it to a light simmer over a medium heat. Crack one of the eggs into a cup and gently pour it into the water in one fluid movement. Repeat with the rest of the eggs. You'll see them begin to cook immediately – don't worry if the edges look a little scruffy.
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.
Vinegar does help set the albumen more quickly, which helps prevent feathering, but people with a keen sense of smell can taste the vinegar in the poached egg, which is why I don't recommend adding it.
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.
Heat the water: Add enough water to come 1 inch up the side of a narrow, deep 2-quart saucier. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 teaspoons white vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, crack 1 very fresh cold large egg into a custard cup or small ramekin.
Don't add any salt as this may break up the egg white. Stir the water to create a gentle whirlpool to help the egg white wrap around the yolk.
Do not stir. Let them cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. Keeping a large batch warm: Heat a separate pot of water over low heat, holding it between 120 to 140ºF (49 to 60ºC). Add the poached eggs to keep warm, but no longer than 20 minutes.
The poaching water should just barely simmer; rapid boiling will cause the eggs to break up as they cook. Poached eggs can be made ahead of time and held for up to two days. Undercook them slightly so the yolks remain runny when reheated. Refrigerate in enough water to cover the eggs.
Yes, any light colored vinegar will work. Do not use dark balsamic vinegar or you may end up with odd colored or flavored eggs.
It can take 12-24 hours before a good portion of the shell is removed. A good sign of progress is a white frothy scummy layer on the top of the surface of the vinegar. After a day of soaking you can carefully remove the egg from the vinegar.
Acid (lemon juice, vinegar, tartar powder) stabilizes the cross-linking of the proteins; the egg white mass becomes firmer. Even small amounts of egg yolk or fat can prevent stiffening.