Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Poached Egg ~ With or withOUT Vinegar?

I was first introduced to Poached Egg by my Dad. He did NOT use vinegar. He cooked it with Butter in an Egg Poacher (a useful apparatus, arguably, for cooking Poached Eggs). I loved it. Anyway... I do NOT like vinegar.


An Egg Poacher
(my dad used one similar to this)

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Updated:
Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 11:49 AM

No, vinegar is NOT necessary in the making of Poached Egg. I did a research on the internet and I like this answer, although it is arguable if vinegar is really needed.... or NOT. This is what Wikipedia has to say about using vinegar in a Poached Egg Recipe.

Quote from Wikipedia :
"To prevent dispersion of the white of the egg, it can be strained before-hand, removing the parts of the white that are likely to disperse and creating a perfect, compact poached egg every time, with very little effort and without resorting to other risky methods such as vinegar. Another method states that a small amount of vinegar may be added to the boiling water. However, this technique is risky, as one may add too much vinegar into the water, resulting in a dry egg and an acidic taste. Stirring the water vigorously to create a vortex may also reduce dispersion."

Quote from www.huffingtonpost.com :
Vinegar Helps ~ Adding a few drops of distilled white vinegar to your poaching water is a controversial method. Pro: It works to keep the whites intact. Con: It adds a slight vinegar flavor to your eggs. If you don't like that, skip the vinegar and just cook them gently according to the 'rules at this link'.

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1st Posted:
Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 11:17 AM 

Yes, there is vinegar in Poached Egg (according to Gordon Ramsay, Celebrity Chef). 

Quote from news article below.
"For instance, when reviewing their poached eggs, he (Gordon Ramsay) asked if they had added vinegar to the water and if they had swirled the water in the pot before cracking the egg into it; and how long they cooked each egg for."
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News Article:


ITE College West student wins cookoff for Gordon Ramsay internship
by Rebecca Lynne Tan, Food Correspondent, PUBLISHED ON SEP 22, 2014 2:44 PM
rltan@sph.com.sg, follow Rebecca Lynne Tan on Twitter @STrebeccatan

SINGAPORE - First-year culinary arts student Koh Han Jie, 21, from ITE College West's Institut Paul Bocuse beat three other contestants to be the first intern at Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen at Marina Bay Sands.

Koh, along with three other students representing Shatec, Culinary Institute of America and At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, had 10 minutes to cook a mystery ingredient, which later turned out to be eggs.

The cookoff was held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Monday morning. Ramsay is slated to open an offshoot of Bread Street Kitchen at the integrated resort in April next year.

The contestants had to cook eggs three ways: omelette, poached and soft-boiled. Ramsay said: "The humble egg just got serious."

He added that he was keen to see which style of egg each young, aspiring chef would cook first. For the participants, the 10 minutes passed by too quickly.

As Ramsay went from station to station, tasting and critiquing each participant's eggs, he also quizzed them on the cooking methods and the rationale behind them.

For instance, when reviewing their poached eggs, he asked if they had added vinegar to the water and if they had swirled the water in the pot before cracking the egg into it; and how long they cooked each egg for.

Mr Koh's eyes lit up when Ramsay cut into his runny-yolk poached egg and pronounced it "perfect".

His omelette, which included a touch of cream to create a richer texture, was slightly runny in the middle, and was brushed with melted butter to add flavour and a sheen to the surface.

Mr Koh says: "I was very nervous at first and my hands were shaking. But I kept telling myself not to sc*** up."

-- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
First-year culinary arts student Koh Han Jie, (centre), from ITE College West's Institut Paul Bocuse, being congratulated by Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay. On the right is George Tanasijevich, president and CEO of Marina Bay Sands, who was a judge at the cooking audition. 

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Poached Eggs:


 




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Date: Tue, Sep 23, 2014 at 11:23 AM
Subject: Poached Egg Recipe ~ Has Vinegar