This easy egg poaching technique allows you to cook multiple eggs at once, reduces feathering to a minimum, and results in a perfect poached egg with a runny yolk and no raw white remaining.
Fill a medium saucepan or deep skillet with 2 inches deep with water. Add 2 teaspoons of vinegar for every quart of water used. Bring the water to a rolling boil and then reduce heat so that it's just barely simmering. There should still be bubbles on the bottom of the pan, but the surface of the water should look relatively calm.
Crack an egg into a small wire sieve and allow watery albumin to drain off. (Don’t worry; the white and yolk will stay intact inside the sieve.)
Holding the egg in the sieve just above the water, gently roll the egg out of the sieve and into the water. After the egg hits the water, leave it alone.You can put about four into the pan at the same time, but be sure they all have enough room.
In the beginning of the poaching process, the egg will slide to the bottom of the pan and may stick a bit. After the egg poaches for a minute, use a slotted spoon to unstick it from the bottom of the pan if necessary.
Allow the egg to poach about two minutes, and then use a slotted spoon to lift it up out of the water. Gently poke it with your finger to see if it is done to your liking.
If the egg is ready, remove it to a plate. If it needs to cook longer, simply lower it back into the water for another minute and check it again.
Notes
Use Fresh Eggs: You will get much better results with fresh eggs. In fresh eggs, the yolk is firm and sits up high, and the white is thick and closely surrounds the yolk. Older eggs have thinner, more watery whites, and a flatter yolk that breaks more easily.Use a Strainer: The key to perfectly poached eggs is using a small kitchen sieve (i.e., tea or cocktail strainer) to strain off any watery white from the egg. The strainer is also a perfect vessel from which to gently roll the egg into the simmering water.