Less messy way to poach an egg (less cleanup)

[Aunt Bea]

I tried this again today and swapped out the little Pyrex custard cup, pictured in the video, for a Pyrex measuring cup. It made it much easier for me to maneuver the dish of hot water out of the microwave and also made it easier to slide the egg onto a slotted spoon to drain. A teacup would probably work just as well.

Next I want to see if I can swap out the water for some spicy tomato sauce to make a quick version of Steve's Shakshouka recipe.

It doesn't take much to amuse me!

 

[Kayelle]

I tried this again today and swapped out the little Pyrex custard cup, pictured in the video, for a Pyrex measuring cup. It made it much easier for me to maneuver the dish of hot water out of the microwave and also made it easier to slide the egg onto a slotted spoon to drain. A teacup would probably work just as well.

Next I want to see if I can swap out the water for some spicy tomato sauce to make a quick version of Steve's Shakshouka recipe.

It doesn't take much to amuse me!

Brilliant suggestion Bea! The diameter of the 1 cup Pyrex measuring cup is the same as a custard cup, and you can just fill it with a half cup water. Pouring the contents into a slotted spoon is a better idea too.
Hmmm, you should make your own video! You too should be a star!
Please report about the Shakshouka idea.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Brilliant suggestion Bea! The diameter of the 1 cup Pyrex measuring cup is the same as a custard cup, and you can just fill it with a half cup water. Pouring the contents into a slotted spoon is a better idea too.
Hmmm, you should make your own video! You too should be a star!
Please report about the Shakshouka idea.

I'm ready for my close-up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIcC8YJrevQ

 

[Kayelle]

 

[Aunt Bea]

Please report about the Shakshouka idea.

My effort at making microwave Shakshouka was not a rousing success!

I think the thickness of the sauce was the problem. I buried the raw egg in the 1/2 cup of sauce and microwaved it for a minute, towards the end I heard a couple of pops and was concerned that I would need to do a major cleaning of the microwave. I was relieved to find that the egg did not explode or spatter. The egg was not cooked so I gave it a careful stir and another 30 seconds in the microwave, it was fine.

In the future I think I will heat the sauce or salsa in a separate container, poach the egg using the TNT microwave method and combine them on the plate with a sprinkle of grated cheese.

 

[Caslon]

I got mixed results using Kayelle's method. I have the Pyrex dish he uses. I poured the egg in slowly so as not to let the egg yolk settle on the bottom, and microwaved it, covered in cling wrap. What I ended up with was a flat round of egg white at the bottom of the Pyrex dish with the egg yolk looking like it's a sunny side up egg.

I know a poached egg is different from a soft boiled egg, but they have similar qualities of texture. I'm trying to get a poached egg method result to somewhat resemble a soft boiled egg. The video I posted and have not tried seems to resemble what I'm going for. An egg that cooks up the done-ness that resembles a soft boiled egg, without having to go thru having to boil and peel it.

P.S. The eggs were labeled as large but the yolks were very small.

I might try the method I posted originally, only...I'll probably want to net order organic cling wrap, hehe.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Caslon,

Have you considered an egg coddler?

It will still mean washing a dish and it is not as fast as the microwave method but it will give you the result you are looking for. I have one similar to this that I picked up at the thrift store, I use it a couple time a year.

You can also use an eight ounce canning jar.

Here is a link with more information and a couple of recipes.

Egg Coddler Recipes, Cooking and Handling Tips

Good luck!

 

[Mad Cook]

I like a poached egg on my corned beef hash. My usual method is to boil some water in a pot, add a splash of vinegar, then break the egg into the water, then use a slotted spoon to retrieve the egg, then afterwards, wash out the pot and slotted spoon of messy egg white residue. I came upon this method which requires less cleanup. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to.

[youtube]9jUZax1lCok[/youtube]

I have never had any success with poached eggs. None of the "totally foolproof" methods advised by friends and cookery books and TV chefs ever work for me. Even special tuition from a cousin who is the head chef at a British Embassy, in a place that will remain nameless, hasn't been able to teach me to get it right! A pity, because I love poached egg on toast and eggs benedict.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Tree words - Egg Poaching Pan. Makes the finest poached eggs on the planet. You butter the cold poaching inserts, add egg, cover. Bring pan with water to a boil and let the steam perfectly cook your egg, with all that butter, and whatever seasonings you choose. Perfect for eggs benedict, devilied eggs, on top of toast, or if your young enough and your mouth is big enough, you take that poached egg, with runny yolk, pop the whole egg into your mouth and be ready for a flavor explosion. Yum.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Kayelle]

I got mixed results using Kayelle's method. I have the Pyrex dish he uses. I poured the egg in slowly so as not to let the egg yolk settle on the bottom, and microwaved it, covered in cling wrap. What I ended up with was a flat round of egg white at the bottom of the Pyrex dish with the egg yolk looking like it's a sunny side up egg.

Caslon, wondering why you covered the dish in cling wrap? Nobody else who's been successful has used cling wrap, and that wasn't suggested in the video. Was the yolk covered in water?

 

[Caslon]

Caslon, wondering why you covered the dish in cling wrap? Nobody else who's been successful has used cling wrap, and that wasn't suggested in the video. Was the yolk covered in water?

Oh, sorry. My bad. I got messed up and covered the dish with cling wrap.
I'm trying to get a poached egg to be like a soft boiled egg. but the two are different.

 

[Andy M.]

I tried again today with two eggs in a dish with a full cup of water. I microwaved it for two minutes. That was too much. The yolks were not runny.

 

[Kayelle]

I tried again today with two eggs in a dish with a full cup of water. I microwaved it for two minutes. That was too much. The yolks were not runny.

I have limited success also with the two eggs Andy. For my micro, 75 seconds seems to be right with me, and the yolks are still runny with the whites firm.

 

[Andy M.]

I must have a less powerful microwave. One egg takes a minute. I did two eggs for 90 seconds and they weren't done so I did 30 seconds more. I should have done just 15 seconds.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Locally sourced organic plastic wrap? That's a joke, right?

I was also thinking "WTF is locally sourced organic plastic wrap?" Would that be plastic wrap made with pure crude oil from your neighborhood oil well?

 

[GotGarlic]

I was also thinking "WTF is locally sourced organic plastic wrap?" Would that be plastic wrap made with pure crude oil from your neighborhood oil well?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I was also thinking "WTF is locally sourced organic plastic wrap?" Would that be plastic wrap made with pure crude oil from your neighborhood oil well?

No, silly. It's the biodegradable, edible plastic-like wrap created by the Japanese from the shells of shrimp. But I don't know of any local manufactures, and that organic part, and the local part, those will be hard to find in most land-locked places.

Yes there really is a biodegradable and edible food wrap made from shrimp shells, by the Japanese. I applaud the effort, and success.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Cheryl J]

I must have a less powerful microwave. One egg takes a minute. I did two eggs for 90 seconds and they weren't done so I did 30 seconds more. I should have done just 15 seconds.

My microwave is just a little 700 watt. I didn't mention this before but the first time I tried this, one egg set for a minute exploded at 58 seconds. What a mess. 55 seconds worked perfectly the second time.

I haven't tried 2 eggs at a time yet - I'll give it a try based on your results, Andy.

 

[Caslon]

Both videos makes the poached egg look almost like a soft boiled egg, which is what I was hoping for. I'll keep trying, I got a new carton of eggs.

I might even try the video method I posted where you wrap the egg up and drop it into boiling water, as long as I get the desired results. Both videos, they get the poached egg to almost look soft boiled without having to peel off the shell. It looks delicious. I'll get it right, by golly...in the name of my corned beef hash! I have the same Pyrex bowls used in the video.

 

[Kayelle]

I must have a less powerful microwave. One egg takes a minute. I did two eggs for 90 seconds and they weren't done so I did 30 seconds more. I should have done just 15 seconds.

My new over the stove microwave says it 1,000W
45 seconds is good for one egg, and 75 seconds for two.