kitchen skills
Egg Cookery While seemingly simple, omelet and poached egg-making skills deserve attention and respect BY JASON ROSS
A
chef’s toque, the tall and pleated hat, is a symbol of rank and expertise in the restaurant kitchen. Each pleat, according to kitchen lore, represents a different type of egg cookery that the chef has mastered. While it may seem simple, egg cooking requires a special type of attention and versatility. The egg is central to recipes and classic dishes across cultures and cuisines. And like most simple techniques, the more we dig, the more subtle complications we find. Here we tackle two egg dishes that can prove frustrating—the omelet and poached eggs—and offer tips for success.
Poached Eggs MAKES 1 SERVING
A poached egg is an elegant and purist egg cooking technique. Use it for breakfast or just as easily on top of a salad or a sautéed steak. The technique is not complicated and only uses two ingredients—fresh eggs and hot water. The rest is a bit of patience. 1. Fill a nonstick pan with 1 to 2 inches of water. On high heat, bring water to a simmer, then reduce heat to low to keep the gentlest bubble of a simmer. 2. Crack 4 eggs and carefully add them to the hot water, putting each egg in a different spot in the pan and leaving space between each egg. 3. Cook on very low heat for 2 to 3 minutes covered with a lid. 4. Use a fish spatula or thin metal spatula and slide under eggs if they stick to the bottom of pan. 5. Cook eggs for another 2 to 3 minutes, for a total of roughly 4 to 5 minutes for an egg with a runny yolk, or 6 to 7 minutes for a fully cooked and solid poached egg.
POACHED EGG TIPS: • To avoid little strings of egg white on poached eggs, use the freshest eggs possible. Fresh eggs can last well up to a month, but as they age, the egg whites become watery and thin. • Use just enough water to cover the eggs as they cook—1 or 2 inches is plenty. Too much water makes it harder to find eggs in the poaching water. • Do not let the water boil. A gentle heat, barely a simmer, helps keep the egg in a nice compact shape. • To serve poached eggs for large groups, transfer the poached eggs from hot poaching water to a bowl of ice water. Store the ice water bowl (and eggs) in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours. Then warm them in hot water for 1 minute before serving. PHOTOGRAPHY TERRY BRENNAN FOOD STYLING LARA MIKLASEVICS
6 real food spring 2019
