What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[wolram]

How is the perfect poached egg done? i have tried all the tricks, adding vinegar to the water, swirling the water around, having the water just simmering, but no matter i all ways end up with the white a frothy gunge.

 

[turbo]

I just threw a clove into the microwave and the damn thing exploded like popcorn.

Oops. Probably bad advice not to tell you to use a low setting with a sealed system (fully skinned garlic clove). Sorry.

We usually use our large oven or our toaster oven to prepare garlic that way.

 

[tribdog]

I'm going to guess at an answer, but I've never poached an egg or seen anyone poach an egg. get a big spoon, crack the egg into the spoon. Slowly lower the spoon into the hot water.

 

[tribdog]

Oops. Probably bad advice not to tell you to use a low setting with a sealed system (fully skinned garlic clove). Sorry.

We usually use our large oven or our toaster oven to prepare garlic that way.

Sometimes you need to stop and realize who you are talking to.
Actually it was sort of cool. I hadn't realized that garlic cloves are air tight. Once I wanted a hard boiled egg and all I had was a microwave. so I put a bowl of water into the microwave and an egg in the water. It seemed to be working just fine, until the water evaporated. THAT was a truly impressive explosion. Police showed up after that one.

 

[turbo]

How is the perfect poached egg done? i have tried all the tricks, adding vinegar to the water, swirling the water around, having the water just simmering, but no matter i all ways end up with the white a frothy gunge.

I poach them in a cast-iron frying pan because cast-iron loses heat very slowly. Bring the water to a simmer, shut off the heat, and gently introduce the eggs to the water after it stops roiling around, and baste them with hot water using a spoon. As you baste them, you'll notice that the membrane over the yolk gets pale and whitish. Try not to disturb the water in the immediate vicinity of the eggs - get your hot basting water from near the edge of the pan. When the yolk has firmed up so that you can handle the eggs, you may want to turn the eggs with a slotted spoon, or you can continue to baste them from the top until they are done. I like to serve them on buttered rye toast, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.

If you try to shorten the time to make poached eggs by using higher heat, not waiting until the water is quiescent, or poaching them over an active flame, you will not get good results. BTW, this is the way my mother cooked and served them. There may be equally good ways to get great results, but why mess with something that has worked for 50+ years?

 

[wolram]

No wonder i could never get it right, thanks Turbo i will try that tomorrow.

 

[turbo]

No wonder i could never get it right, thanks Turbo i will try that tomorrow.

Good luck, Woolie! You don't need a lot of water in the frying pan, just enough to float the eggs. 1/2 - 3/4 inch should be OK, though you might want the water deeper at first until you get the hang of it. Spoon up the basting water from the edges of the pan and gently drizzle it over the yolks. I hope this helps. If you don't get great results, post back and we'll try to figure out what might have gone wrong. Remember that the water does not have to be boiling or even simmering to cook poached eggs, and that the use of a heavy cast-iron pan is designed to keep the water hot for a long time.

 

[Evo]

How is the perfect poached egg done?

You buy an egg poacher. It's a metal insert with cups for the eggs. Goes into a skillet of simmering water. The water never touches the eggs.

 

[physics girl phd]

You buy an egg poacher. It's a metal insert with cups for the eggs. Goes into a skillet of simmering water. The water never touches the eggs.

I used to have one and loved it (but it bent in several moves). Now I find "soft-boiling" suits me fine... just hack the soft boiled egg in half with a sharp knife over buttery toast, and then spoon it out quickly. add salt, pepper, and thyme. mmm... my dinner two nights ago!

 

[Evo]

I used to have one and loved it (but it bent in several moves). Now I find "soft-boiling" suits me fine... just hack the soft boiled egg in half with a sharp knife over buttery toast, and then spoon it out quickly. add salt, pepper, and thyme. mmm... my dinner two nights ago!

I love soft boiled eggs. I love dipping fingers of french bread into the egg yolk. My mom had those little soft boiled egg holders and a miniature spoon to eat the egg out of the shell. Yummy!

 

[turbo]

You buy an egg poacher. It's a metal insert with cups for the eggs. Goes into a skillet of simmering water. The water never touches the eggs.

Heretic!

 

[Evo]

Heretic!

They *are* perfect.

 

[Evo]

Andrew Zimmern is having a Halloween special tonight. I can't wait.

 

[tribdog]

I love soft boiled eggs. I love dipping fingers of french bread into the egg yolk. My mom had those little soft boiled egg holders and a miniature spoon to eat the egg out of the shell. Yummy!

skinny end up or fat end? what was that cartoon where they went to war over this?

 

[turbo]

They *are* perfect.

They are perfectly semi spherical on the bottom, coated with oil, and cooked at low temperature in a dry environment. They are not poached eggs, though. I'm not a real purist about a lot of cooking techniques, but this is one that is easy to do with minimal skill and a bit of attention to detail. I can make perfect poached eggs over a campfire 'way out in the woods with nothing more than a frying pan and a couple of spoons and a bit of water.

When my wife and I go camping, we've got a medium-sized Roughneck tub that contains our entire kitchen, and we only use a fraction of that for a weekend's cooking. "Honey, where is that coddled-egg fixture? Where is the French-pressed coffee maker? Where is my copper sauce pot?" Nope! Everything in that tub is simple and can be used for multiple tasks.

 

[turbo]

"Honey, where is that coddled-egg fixture? Where is the French-pressed coffee maker? Where is my copper sauce pot?"

BTW, we don't even own ANY of these do-dads, much less pine for them on camping trips. My major concession is my little personal espresso-maker. I pack it with enough ground coffee to make 4 demitasses of strong hot black espresso, and that's my morning mug every day.

 

[Evo]

They are perfectly semi spherical on the bottom, coated with oil, and cooked at low temperature in a dry environment.

No, you lightly butter the egg poaching cup and you simmer it in water. Not dry heat. Yummy, flavorful, and easy. If I had to do it the old way in water and vinegar, I'd prefer to just fry it. I have a nonstick skillet that I can fry an egg in without any oil, if I wanted. While it takes time and skill to properly poach an egg in water, they have never appealed to me, taste wise.

 

[turbo]

While it takes time and skill to properly poach an egg in water, they have never appealed to me, taste wise.

Evo! I'm ashamed. It takes minimal skill and only a bit of patience to make perfect poached (coddled, my grandmother called them) eggs every time. I can see how one might not like them, but it's difficult for me to imagine how someone might prefer the McDonald's method of cooking "poached" eggs over the real deal. About the only advantage McD's method has is that the eggs are very predictable in size and can be incorporated into their arcane breakfast menu of foods that you never ate as a kid.

 

[Evo]

Andrew Zimmern is having a Halloween special tonight. I can't wait.

Oh my god, they keep showing him biting into the face of that guinea pig.

 

[wolram]

I ended up with a boiled yolk, the white stayed in the pan.

 

[Evo]

I ended up with a boiled yolk, the white stayed in the pan.

You didn't try poaching it without an egg poacher, did you?

 

[physics girl phd]

it's difficult for me to imagine how someone might prefer the McDonald's method of cooking "poached" eggs over the real deal. About the only advantage McD's method has is that the eggs are very predictable in size and can be incorporated into their arcane breakfast menu of foods that you never ate as a kid.

My mom's egg poacher had little triangular cups. I must confess to comfort in their symmetry.

 

[turbo]

Woolie, if you want to try the "poacher" method, you might not have to buy anything. If you have a muffin tin, and a larger pan that the muffin tin can fit into, you can boil water in the larger pan, and cook your eggs in cups (pre-greased) of the muffin tin. I really prefer the traditional poached eggs, though.

 

[Evo]

Oh dear god, they are showing deep fried hot dogs, chicken fried steak and chicken fried bacon smothered in cream gravy on a show called "Deep Fried Paradise" on the Travel Channel.

I am dying of hunger here. I want fried food!

But nooo, I am making low fat chicken and rice for dinner.

 

[tribdog]

My entire apartment smells like garlic. When those things explode smells linger.

 

[turbo]

Oh dear god, they are showing deep fried hot dogs, chicken fried steak and chicken fried bacon smothered in cream gravy on a show called "Deep Fried Paradise" on the Travel Channel.

I am dying of hunger here. I want fried food!

But nooo, I am making low fat chicken and rice for dinner.

You can have tasty food without the deep-south decadence. Get some legs and thighs (the fat content of the dark meat is good for cooking small pieces), dip them in scrambled raw eggs, and dredge them in Panko bread crumbs, salt, pepper, mixed with whatever types of onion and garlic that you might prefer. You might want to dust the chicken with some paprika at this point, and top with a little lemon zest before baking, and when the chicken is almost done, pour a little fresh lemon juice over the chicken and continue baking until browned. This is a great way to get crispy, flavorful chicken without frying. If you want to reduce fat further, put a shallow wire tray on the bottom of your roasting pan and set the chicken on that to keep it out of contact with any fats that drain from the meat.

You can eat healthy meals that are really tasty without a lot of fuss.

 

[turbo]

My entire apartment smells like garlic. When those things explode smells linger.

Place smells like garlic = heaven.

 

[Evo]

But I *WANT* deep fried greasy food. My cholesterol is so good that I could eat deep fried eggs and beef all day, every day, with no problems.

It's time for some deep fried LOVE for Evo.

 

[turbo]

But I *WANT* deep fried greasy food. My cholesterol is so good that I could eat deep fried eggs and beef all day, every day, with no problems.

It's time for some deep fried LOVE for Evo.

My LDL is below target. My HDL is 2-3x my LDL. I eat butter, meats, cheeses, etc. I'm not knocking deep-fried food, but these days it is done mostly with hydrogenated vegetable oils, etc, and not with the healthier, high-heat saturated fats.

If you can find a donut shop that fries in lard, GO! Their donuts will be lighter and drier (less oil/grease) with a thinner but crispier crust than donuts you can get at Dunkin' Donuts or comparable places.

 

[Evo]

I was quietly approached today while getting coffee in one of the break rooms.

Talk dark stranger: pssst,pssst, I hear you have a thing for deer meat.

Me: Why, yes I do.

Talk dark stranger: I hear you also want more of that jalapeno cheddar sausage.

Me: YES!

Talk dark stranger: The 14th of next month is the start of deer season. I can get you anything you want, tenderloin, stew meat, all boneless. I'll set you up.

Me: <starts salivating> I'll pay you anything you ask.

Talk dark stranger: We'll be in touch.

Ok, so it didn't really go like that, but it looks like not only will I be able to stock my freezer up with that sausage the Evo Child is addicted to. I'm going to get some great deer meat.

Oh, this is going to be a wonderful fall/winter. He sounded like he could get me as much as I wanted. I know the guys and they hunt legally, but apparently some of their buddies like to hunt deer but not eat it. I will be glad to take it off of their hands.

Astro, If I can figure out a way to ship you some of this sausage, I will. It really is to die for. The first time the Evo Child tried some, I thought her eyes were going to fall out of her head. I told her today we were getting more and she was so excited.