Poached Egg Experiment with Photos

i experimented with making poached eggs with suggestions found in a couple threads and recipes in this forum.

i used organic grade A extra-large eggs, each weighing around 65 grams.

the experiment involved four permutations:

1. 167F/75C for 12 minutes, chilled-stored, and then reheated at 145F/63C for 30 minutes
2. 145F/63C for 45 minutes, chilled-stored, and then reheated at 145F/63C for 30 minutes
3. 145F/63C for 45 minutes, chilled-stored, and then reheated at 167F/75C for 12 minutes
4. boiled for 4 minutes, chilled-stored, and then reheated at 145F/63C for 30 minutes

version 1-3 first involved cooking the eggs sous-vide.

for version 4 the eggs were boiled.

after each version, the eggs were placed in a ice-water bath for 15 minutes.

all versions were then stored overnight in the refrigerator. each version was then reheated with a sous-vide setup.

now for the results.

version 1: 167F/75C for 12 minutes, chilled-stored, and then reheated at 145F/63C for 30 minutes

here is the result:

version 2: 145F/63C for 45 minutes, chilled-stored, and then reheated at 145F/63C for 30 minutes

here is the result:

version 3: 145F/63C for 45 minutes, chilled-stored, and then reheated at 167F/75C for 12 minutes

here is the result:

version 4: boiled for 4 minutes, chilled-stored, and then reheated at 145F/63C for 30 minutes

here is the result:

i left the egg shell on the plate to show how thick the egg white became in this version. i did another egg with the same set-up and that egg was cooked all the way through and the shell had to peeled off after cracking it.

my conclusion:
the best was version 1 using the initial cooking at 167F/75C and then reheating at 145F/63C. there was very little runny egg white and the yolk had a nice flowing consistency.

the second best was version 3 using the initial cooking at 145F/63C and then at 167F/75C for 12 minutes. the egg yolk was just a little firmer than version 1.

version 2 used the initial cooking of 145F/63C and then reheating at 145F/63C. this had the runniest egg white and egg yolk.

the worst was version 4 which used an initial boiling for four minutes and then reheating at 145F/63C. the white was too thick as well as the yolk.

both version 1 and 3 were very good but the winner is version 1.

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Comments

FrankM_3301

What was your original goal? What were you trying to achieve/learn?

sebastian_palmigiani_21610

@Frank there were different poached egg sous-vide recipes that were given in the discussion section for the 75C egg. they were variations on temperature and time. i wanted to see which of those ideas had the best result for me.

http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/75-c-egg

Jack_Mayer_85396

@MetaChef - thanks for undertaking the test and sharing it with us! Eggs Benedict for Easter tomorrow!

FrankM_3301

@MetaChef thanks!

Tom_90804

Why double cook? would the results be much different if you just heated and served once?

sebastian_palmigiani_21610

@pferd500 it is not double cooking. the results would be the same if only cooked once. it is reheating that which has already been cooked. the purpose is to make it more efficient in prepping for a service. i wanted to replicate prepping the night before and then serving next day.

Peter_Buckwalter_22128

What weight where your eggs? I find this makes a big difference and I get good results with version 1, but only if the eggs weigh around 63 grams.

sebastian_palmigiani_21610

@Peter the eggs were around 65 grams grade A. it would be cool to have a time-weight-temp chart for poached eggs. if the eggs had a higher/lower weight i would first do an initial test +/- 12-13 minutes on those eggs and take it from there.

aaron.murphycrews

@MetaChef- Thanks for a great post. I do something extremely similar to preparation 1 for brunch on a regular basis. Awesome of you to share the experiment and all the photos.

ttpoker

Ever considered finishing your sous vide poached eggs with a 10 second traditional poach? Adds definition to the whites, and makes the presentation more like a traditional poached egg - best of both worlds.

Matt_67991

Timely post @In theCards, Ideas in food just posted about that today.

http://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/2014/04/finishing-steps.html

ttpoker

@Henri I'm rarely ahead of the curve, but this is something I have been doing for around 6 months now. Nice to know someone whose opinion I greatly respect such as Aki is using the same technique, I came up with this idea this when I showed a chef at a breakfast-only spot how to cook eggs sous vide and she commented how she hated the whites, looked yucky to her. Problem solved - except then she felt the labor necessary wasn't worth it.

Matt_67991

I particularly like the idea of it cleaning up the thin runny whites. I really don't like those, and this seems like one of the easiest ways to clean them up. It also seems like a nice way to pick them up in a restaurant setting. I'll definitely have to try it soon.

markjfletcher79

I tried the 75c egg today for the asparagus and ham recipe. Unfortunately my egg was not at all runny. Does anyone have a clue as to why this was?

Brendan_Lee_56950

Is your bath calibrated properly? Or were you using small eggs?

Matt_67991

@M J Fletcher both of Brandon's points are likely good. The thickening of eggs is a function of both temperature and time. If you have smaller eggs, the heat will reach the inside of the egg faster, so they spend more time at a higher temperature and will thicken up more.

Assuming the bath is properly calibrated, If you want to keep using the eggs you're using, you could try shortening the cooking time. You could try doing something like putting four eggs into the 75C bath and taking them out at 10 mins, 10 mins 30s, 11mins, 11 mins 30s and seeing which one you prefer.

tshewman

@Henri and @Inthecards - I've been poaching to finish the eggs for quite a while. The 75deg egg works if Im in a hurry, but there's some trade off as the yolk does start to firm up. I'm actually bias toward a 62deg egg and finish poaching. Often done after the previous meal and held at 57deg. With the number of temps/times I've tried I find the traditional poaching finish the most flexible and addresses firming up the egg whites at the same time.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

A few chefs I talk to do 62-63, finish for 30 sec in a rolling boil if they weren't already dunked in a low temp bath.

We've mostly talked about the customer experience of a "crack egg and pour a fully poached egg"

if you start seeing a little runny and sticky yolk, if you do it in public, time for some sleight of hand