Soft boiling and poaching eggs is one of the best ways to preserve most of the nutrients in the eggs. For vegetarians they are one of the most important sources of Vitamin B12. But boiling and poaching eggs can be burdensome to get the consistency right. Cooking times may depend on the size of the eggs, the temperature of the starting water , the temperature of the egg and the method of heating the water. We will discuss here how to make the boiling and poaching process more consistent for quail, chicken, duck and goose eggs.
The art of boiling and poaching eggs
Boiling and poaching eggs does not need to be a daunting task, as professional chefs master these, as explained by Chef Jacques Pepin. Following a few simple rules will make this a stress free task.
The first rule is to start off with eggs at room temperature, not at fridge temperature.
The second rule is to punch a very small hole in the bottom of chicken, goose and duck eggs. This prevents the egg from breaking during the boil. It also gives a rounder shape of the egg, when the eggs are a bit older as the air will be pushed out.
The third rule is to get the water to a boil first, then add the eggs.
And finally the last rule is to cool down the eggs immediately after taking them out of the boiling water to stop the cooking process. This way you could also make soft boiled eggs in advance: simply reheat them in boiling water for 1 minute for duck and chicken eggs and 2 minutes for goose eggs. This method is less suited for the much smaller quail eggs.
For poaching, use fresh eggs, as the yolk should remain whole. Add a dash of vinegar to the water which will help to coagulate the egg whites. After poaching, take the eggs out with a slotted spoon, cool them down in ice water, shape them with a knife and when you need to serve, you can simply re-heat them in boiling water for 20 seconds.
Special equipment
slotted spoon
Boiling chicken, quail, duck and goose eggs
Ingredients
boiling eggs
- 2 qrt (2 L) boiling water
- 2 qrt (2 l) cold or iced water
- 2-4 eggs
poaching eggs
- 2 qrt (2 L) boiling water
- 1/6 cup vinegar
- 2 qrt (2 L) cold or iced water
Instructions
boiling eggs
- Bring the water to a rolling boil
- Prepare the bowl with cold water
- Except for quail eggs, make a tiny hole in the bottom of each egg that you want to boil
- Reduce the fire and place the eggs with care into the boiling water and let it boil slowly, not vigorously
- At the times as indicated under the Remarks section, take the eggs out from the pan and bring them over to the cold iced water bowl, to arrest the cooking process
- When the temperature of the egg is cooled down to about 50 C, you can serve or you can cool down further and then re-heat in boiling water for a minute (duck and chicken eggs) or 2 min (goose eggs).
poaching eggs
- Bring the water to a rolling boil
- Prepare the iced water bowl
- Brake the eggs and place them separately in a bowl (except for when using quail eggs, you can combine several in one bowl)
- When the water is boiling, add the vinegar and stop the boiling. Give the water a swirl and add the eggs from the bowls one by one (not more that 3 or 4, otherwise use more boiling water volume; you may add heat at low level.
- After the time is up, use a slotted spoon to remove the poached eggs one by one and place them in the iced water. When cooled down sufficiently, shape the egg whites with a knife and serve or alternatively store the eggs under water and re-heat for 20 seconds in boiling water just before serving.
Notes
Food allergy & intolerance information: eggs
Remarks
1. A summary of times to soft boil, hard boil and poach various kinds of eggs is listed here. Times are counted from the moment the eggs are placed in the boiling water.
2. Some people with allergies to chicken eggs may be allergic to certain proteins in the egg whites. It has been reported that some of these persons can tolerate duck eggs very well. Something to consider
3. The nutrients per gram of egg can vary. Quail eggs are in many respects more nutritious than hen eggs, for example. The nutrition data are available but is beyond the scope of this cooking instruction
