Perfect Poached Eggs Every Time

eggs, time, own

1. Choose really fresh eggs

I only use eggs that are less than 5 days old. I am lucky in that I own 22 free range chickens and know what day my eggs are laid and the name of the chicken who laid them. If do not have your own chickens then I suggest you make friends with your local free range egg supplier.

2. A word about fancy eggs

I own Cream Legbar Hens that lay very pretty blue eggs but I have never successfully poached one, even a 'freshly laid in the last hour' egg. You put it in the water and it just disintegrates. Someone told me that this is because the protein in the white is different to normal eggs. So keep these for boiled or scrambled ( they do not fry well for the same reason ). The golden yolk looks beautiful against the blue of the shell if you boil them.

3. Start with a small saucepan of boiling water

Add a good slug of distilled white vinegar to the boiling water. I have not measured a 'slug' but you are probably talking a good sherry glass full.

4. With the water boiling, tip the egg into the water

Stir the water well beforehand so that the white all knits together. If you want to get fancy you can whisk the water with a balloon whisk and then you eggs will come out in the shape of torpedoes!

5. Boil for exactly 3 minutes

Fish out the egg with a slotted spoon. Rest the slotted spoon on a wad of kitchen towel to absorb any water.

6. Now my trick of the trade

I always pre cook my poached eggs at the start of breakfast time. As soon as the timer goes off I plunge them into iced water to cool them rapidly. Then when it is time to serve up I put them in boiling water for a minute to reheat. This reduces the stress levels considerably because if they do go wrong you will have time to sort them out and won't be leaving the rest of the breakfast to go cold and tough.