Mary Berry has shared her top tips for making the perfect poached eggs, and it turns out the key is all in the preparation.
All varieties of eggs present their own challenges when it comes to preparation, with fried eggs liable to stick to the pan and scrambled eggs turning dry within moments.
Achieving perfectly runny poached eggs presents another challenging culinary task for numerous reasons.
Their fragile nature makes them susceptible to breaking apart, and they’re far too easy to undercook whilst pursuing that liquid yolk.
Nevertheless, British chef and baking expert Mary Berry has disclosed her fail-safe approach for preparing them flawlessly every single time.
In her eggs Benedict recipe featured on her website, Mary revealed her favoured method.
They aren’t the speediest type of eggs to prepare, but mastering proper poaching skills is “well worthwhile”, according to Mary.
The chef’s method is both conventional and uncomplicated, harnessing the strength of boiling water and vinegar – but the key lies in the preparation stage.
Start by filling a saucepan with water and bringing it to the boil over high heat on the hob.
Once the water reaches bubbling point at approximately 100C, lower the heat to create a gentle simmer and incorporate a dash of white wine vinegar into the water.
Mary said: “Crack each egg into a ramekin or cup, swirl the water with a spoon and then carefully drop into the pan.
“Leave until the white is just beginning to set and carefully turn with a slotted spoon to form into an oval shape.”
She added: “Don’t panic when first tipping an egg into the poaching water. The egg white will naturally spread out, but it comes together as it cooks, and you can tidy the edges at the end when the cooked egg is draining on kitchen paper.”
Allow three to four minutes for the eggs to cook, or until the white is set and the yolk is soft in the middle.
The chef stressed the importance of watching the temperature, noting that if the water starts to bubble once more, it should be turned down to stop it from warping the egg’s shape.
When the egg looks ready, use a slotted spoon to carefully remove it and rest it on a sheet of kitchen roll. This is the time to snip away any wayward bits before serving up your restaurant-quality poached egg.