Master the art of poaching multiple eggs with ease, as a top chef reveals her foolproof technique that guarantees ‘the most perfect eggs of all time’.
No longer must poached eggs be an indulgence solely enjoyed at your favourite brunch spot when you’ve got this clever trick up your sleeve. Poaching eggs is often seen as the culinary challenge for many home cooks.
Achieving that gentle simmer, ensuring the yolk remains intact upon entry, and preventing the egg from clinging to the pan can feel like a daunting task, particularly when attempting several simultaneously.
However, a former brunch service chef, who has expertly poached hundreds of eggs, claims she’s discovered the ultimate method that “results in the most perfect eggs of all time.”
And the best part? It’s incredibly straightforward.
Culinary maestro Kelly Scott, a personal chef renowned for her emphasis on nutritious and healthy meals, divulged her secret on her @kellyscleankitchen TikTok page. In a viral video, she shared: “I have worked a lot of brunch services in my day where I was poaching 100s of eggs, and this, in my opinion, is the best way to poach multiple at a time”.
The chef, who honed her skills at the Culinary Institute of America, revealed how she can poach up to 10 eggs simultaneously using a particular method. Initially, Kelly suggests cracking your eggs into a fine mesh strainer, which she claims “allows the loose whites to drip out”. This is desirable as the “loose whites make the shape of the egg weird once cooked”.
Subsequently, Kelly advises separating each egg into individual ramekins for easy transfer into the water. She recommends using a shallow pot filled with “about three inches” of water, adding white vinegar, and bringing it to a “very low bubble”.
Then, give the water a “gentle swirl”, and then “one after the other, gently drop the eggs into the water, then I give it another gentle swirl right when I drop it in”. “This will prevent them from sticking to the bottom, and the swirl before that also does this,” Kelly explained.
It’s crucial to maintain a “gently bubbling,” state, as if it’s too vigorous the eggs “will overcook,” Kelly warned. When the whites begin to set, she nudges them slightly to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
“After roughly a minute or two, I like to check the egg. If the whites are set and not jiggly, but the yolk jiggles, then you’re good to go,” Kelly concluded.
