I started having more time to read the food blogs and it reignited my passion for cooking. I know I love food because the very mention of a poached egg drives me into a tizzy.
I've also been reading a lot about Cathy Erway and her book "The Art of Eating In" and it really speaks to me. I am the queen of take out - yeah, I love food. And I love to cook. But something about the hunting and gathering of ingredients I don't have, coupled by the cramped cooking quarters, and then hindered by my emotionally crippling need to avoid thinking of myself as a "single gal" (i.e. cooking a recipe meant for 4 and having to tupperware up the rest of the meal) makes me want to throw up. I cook when I have company, on rare special occasions, and if there is something I'm craving that I can't get from a restaurant. That's pretty much the long and short of it.
Regardless, looking at this helpful step-by-step guide on The Kitchn reminded me that I love to try cooking techniques when I'm actually doing it. I just forget sometimes when I'm busy watching a Breakfast in Bed marathon on Soapnet. I never regret picking up a pan, or eating a delicious meal that I've created. I just started personal training so I'd like to be held a little more accountable for what I put in my mouth (that's what she said). Might drop some lbs and regain a long lost hobby at the same time.
To cap off my entry, here are the poached egg instructions for your reference:
What You Need
Ingredients
1 or more eggs
White vinegar
Water
Equipment
Small saucepan
Measuring cup with a handle, or a teacup
Slotted spoon
Timer
Plate lined with a paper towel or clean rag
Instructions
1. Bring a small saucepan 3/4-full of water to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to low and bring the water back down to a low simmer. There should just be a few bubbles hitting the surface.
2. Add about a tablespoon of white vinegar to the water.
3. Crack the egg into a measuring cup or a small teacup.
4. Slowly lower the cup into the barely simmering water, and tip the egg out into the water.
5. Set the timer for 4 minutes. The egg white should be immediately coagulating in the water.
6. Use the slotted spoon to carefully arrange the egg white into a more compact shape, if you desire.
7. Keep an eye on the water's heat; make sure it doesn't come back up to a rolling boil.
8. After 4 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the egg with the slotted spoon. Place it on the plate lined with a paper towel and gently blot it dry.
Additional Notes:
• The 4-minute time will give you a gently cooked poached egg, with a gooey yolk that still has a liquid center. Adjust the time if you want it more cooked.
• We find that the vinegar is really essential in helping cook the egg reliably and neatly; it helps coagulate the egg white quickly, so everything stay in place! If you have no vinegar, then the juice of about half a lemon will also do the trick, but it isn't quite as reliable as vinegar.
