Prepare Better Poached Eggs by Freezing Them First
The internet says what you can and can’t freeze whole raw eggs, so naturally I went and threw a couple of eggs in the freezer. Senior food editor Claire Lower was able to make baby scrambled eggs using frozen eggs; there are probably other secrets that the frozen egg hides. (Besides the miracle of life.) It turns out there is at least one, and it could change the way eggs are boiled here.
The average poaching method is simple on paper. Boil water and carefully lower the egg into it. Cook it for four to five minutes. When you take it out, the egg white will have set and the yolk will be runny. But in reality, the egg white flies off, the yolk breaks, the yolk is overcooked, or the egg sinks to the bottom and becomes soft. Oh, and that 3D hot air balloon? Well, it’s simply impossible to get.
How to boil a frozen egg
Freezing the whole egg first solves most of these problems. First, place a couple of raw eggs in the freezer for about an hour. The USDA does not recommend freezing raw eggs in their shells, but they are safe to eat as long as they do not crack. (This is why I suggest freezing the egg for just an hour or so, but some people do it longer without fear of cracking.)
About five minutes before the hour is up, fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Remove the egg from the freezer, run it under cool water for about 20 seconds, and quickly peel the egg over a bowl. The white and yolk will be mostly frozen, but perhaps a little slushy around the edges. If the egg white has leaked into the bowl, reserve it. This thinner squirrel usually swims away anyway.
Place the frozen egg in a spoon or small bowl and place it in boiling water. If you’ve ever had the problem of accidentally breaking yolks along the way, don’t worry. This frozen yolk will give you a little extra flair. Cook as usual, checking after five minutes for desired doneness. You’ll likely have to leave it in the water for a minute or two longer because the egg starts at a lower temperature than normal. Carefully remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon and witness the magic.
Starting with a frozen yolk works great for runny yolk.
The egg will retain its round shape rather than spread into a pancake on the bottom of the pan. Not to the point where it looks like a hard-boiled egg, but noticeably rounder. The outer white of an egg sets into the shape of the shell as it begins to cook and retains its rounded shape in the finished egg. I also find that starting to freeze gives you time if you tend to overcook the yolk. I let the eggs cook for a few more minutes until the white was set and when I cut into the egg the yolk was completely runny.
There are a lot of weird tips for making the perfect plump egg, and if none of them have worked yet, you should definitely try this one. All you have to do is think about an hour ahead and ignore family members when they ask what you’re doing. Serve poached eggs as eggs benedict, on a bed of rice with soy sauce, or on a green salad.