"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."
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.
Directions. 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.
Vinegar in the water: Never. Vinegar firms up the whites, but the viscous portion of the whites are going to firm up anyway (and the runny portion is still going to be stringy). The whites always cook faster than the yolks. Firming the whites faster with vinegar simply overcooks them before the yolks are ready.
Salt increases the density of the water which makes more of the egg white float and splay out. In other words, a not-so-pretty poached egg. Verdict: Don't do it.
Why Do You Put Vinegar In The Water To Poach An Egg? Vinegar helps the egg whites set while keeping them tender. If you don't add vinegar to the poaching water, the eggs may take longer to cook which may result in a perfectly cooked egg white and an overcooked yolk.
Boiling too rapidly = egg jiggles around too much and causes the whites to disintegrate. The best way round this – bring to boil, then turn it down so there's no bubbles breaking the surface but there's little bubbles coming up from the base of the pot, then immediately drop eggs in.
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. Bring the water to the boil and use a slotted spoon to create a whirlpool in the water.
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.
But when it comes to poached, always remember — the fresher the better. Add vinegar: I always recommend adding a tablespoon of vinegar (preferably a mild-tasting vinegar, like rice or apple cider vinegar) to the water before adding your eggs. It helps the whites to coagulate more quickly.
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.
If you're making 2 poached eggs, allow the first one to gently form and move to the side of a pan before pouring in the second egg (so they don't stick). Any more than two, and it's best to cook them in batches.
Add salt and vinegar to the water.
The salt permeates the shell a little bit, and the vinegar helps to break down the shells, making them easier to peel.
Add salt to the water to help keep the eggshells from cracking too soon. Add vinegar to water in the pot to make eggshells easier to peel. Add eggs to the cold water. Bring water to a boil.
Prep the Water – In a medium saucepan, fill it with water at least 2 to 3 inches high and set over medium-high heat. Once the water reaches a simmer, reduce to medium-low heat. Hold at a temperature between 180 and 190°F (82 and 88°C). Poach the Egg – Crack the egg into a small bowl or ramekin.
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.
Let eggs come to room temperature before poaching, as that helps them cook more evenly. Take the eggs you want to poach out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook them. If your eggs are not farm-fresh, you can add a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice to the water.
We know it sounds rather strange but it's entirely possible to make a poached style egg using olive oil.
While cooking poached eggs, adding a few drops of vinegar make the whites firm faster to prevent them from dispersing in the water and also keeps the nutrients intact.