Poached Egg’s vs. Boiled Egg’s

Many people wonder and ask which are healthier or which taste better between Poached and Boiled eggs, but the two are very similar. The main difference between the two is that a poached egg is ‘poached’ in hot water after first breaking the egg out of the shell, the egg is poached (or cooked) when the white is cooked and the yolk is still runny whilst a hard boiled egg is boiled in its shell for 7 to 8 minutes until it is cooked solid all the way through.

But what are the pro’s and con’s of both boiled and poached?

Boiled Egg’s Pros:

No way to mess up the egg and create havoc when cooking
Doesn’t matter much how clean the water is (for e.g. you can re-use a pan after cooking pasta)
Can do multiple eggs at once
Perfectly curved, but not egg shaped (due to its liquid center)

Boiled Egg’s Cons:
Very time consuming to peel

Poached Egg‘s Pros:
Very quick to cook
Can go straight from pan to plate (important for things that may be cooling)

Poached Egg’s Cons:
Very easy to mess up and get wrong
Looks a bit messy

What we need is some kind of soluble bag to hold the egg together briefly when poaching. Some chef’s have been known to use cling-film or sandwich bags, but not sure it would work and even if it works.

How to Cook Poached Egg’s

Fill a saucepan with 3 inches of cold water, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil.
For your first attempt at preparing poached eggs, you may want to carefully break each egg onto a small cup, plate or bowl before adding it to the water.
As the water reaches boiling point, reduce the heat and allow the water to simmer.
Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water.
Slide the eggs into the water with care, holding the cup or plate as near to the water as possible before allowing the egg to slowly slip into the water.
For the more experienced cooks, break the egg above the pan and let it slip straight into the water.
Once the eggs are in the water, do not move them around. Let the eggs cook for 2½ – 3½ minutes, allowing for the size of the egg and the preferred doneness of the egg yolks.
Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and drain for a few seconds on kitchen paper. Trim any stringy or dangling bits with a knife or scissors if you wish and serve immediately.

How to Cook Boiled Egg’s

How to soft boil eggs (Traditional method)

Put your eggs into a small saucepan and fill with more than enough cold water to cover them. Put the pan on the hob and turn the heat up to the highest setting.
As soon as the water starts to boil reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes depending on how thick or runny you want your egg to be.

Chefs method

Get a small saucepan and fill it with enough water to cover the eggs and an extra fingers width. Stick the saucepan on the the hob and turn the heat to the highest setting.
When the water starts to simmer put in the eggs one at a time, lowering in with a tablespoon.
Reduce the heat and simmer the eggs for exactly 1 minute, not a second more or less.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave for 6 or 7 minutes depending on how running you want your egg.

Hard Boiled Eggs

Put your eggs into a small saucepan and fill with more than enough cold water to cover them. Put the pan on the hob and turn the heat up to the highest setting. As soon as the water starts to simmer reduce the heat to a level that keeps the water simmering away but not boiling.
Cook the eggs for about seven minutes.
Take the eggs out of the saucepan with a tablespoon.
Stick the eggs in the sink and immerse them in very cold water for about 3 minutes.