I Can Teach You: How to Perfectly Poach an Egg

{Day three of Pink University! Today's professor, Janet, and I are kindred spirits, not only because we share a name, but because we both love violet-flavored things. It's not often you find a friend who shares your peculiar obsession with violet candies.}

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Janet here! Yup, another Janet. What are the chances? Slice of Pink Janet and I just had to meet due to our shared name and love of blogging and cute tea houses, and I’ve never been so happy to be named after The Rocky Horror Picture Show and a Fairport Convention song. Seriously. Anyway, you can call me Green Janet, not to be confused with Slice of Pink Janet!

Onward. Today, I’m here to teach you how to perfectly poach an egg. I love poached eggs. That runny, bright yellow-orange, farm-fresh yolk, spilling all over toast, or asparagus, or a bed of oat bran, butter and sea salt. I know some people are grossed out by the thought of a runny yolk, but I say they’re missing out.

Here’s how I do it:

Step 1: Heat a small pot of water to just below boiling. You want small bubbles to be just rising to the surface, but not a rolling boil.

Step 2: When the water is close to reaching that point, take your eggs out of the fridge. Crack an egg into a small ramekin or other small container. I’ve found a 1/3 measuring cup works perfectly.

Step 3: When the water has reached the just-below-boiling point, turn off the heat.

Step 4: Add a dash of vinegar to the pot – I use rice or white wine vinegar.

Step 5: Slowly lower the egg in its vessel into the water. Twist it gently out into the water.

Step 6: Cover the pot.

Step 7: Set your kitchen timer for 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes is up, remove the lid and check the egg. If the whites look clear or not fully cooked, return the lid to the pot and cook for one more minute. If the white look cooked, remove the egg from the pot with a slotted spoon or spatula. Place atop a clean kitchen towel to remove water, and gently blot or wrap.

If you like your eggs runny, 3 minutes is perfect. If you want them a little more medium-set, let sit for at least another minute in the water, or longer on the counter before serving. You can also make a few eggs at once, depending on the size of your pot.

Gently slide the egg from the towel onto its final, delicious resting place, and enjoy! As mentioned, I like mine atop oat bran with a little butter and sea salt, on toast, or on these zucchini pancakes (simply grate ½ a zucchini, a little onion, and add a little beaten egg, salt, and a few tbsp of flour. Pan fry in a little bit of butter and/or olive oil. Voila! Note that these two were a little thick to cook all the way through, and I made three pancakes out of the same amount of “batter” the following day.