Ninety-second Poached Eggs

When I was a kid and our mom served us breakfast before school, one of my favorites was 'eggs on toast.' She would poach eggs and serve them on a slice of buttered toast. I'd cut up the egg and disperse it evenly over the toast, then cut it into (nine) bite-size pieces, eat them up and asked for another!

I discovered English Muffins and how well they fit a round poached egg, then on to Eggs Benedict - at restaurants - I never have been able to make the sauce! (https://downshiftology.com/recipes/hollandaise-sauce/)

Over the years I've experienced a variety of failures. Poaching eggs can be a tricky business. I learned about adding the vinegar years ago, but that wasn't the miracle fix either. Could have been something to do with 'store bought' eggs. However my results with home-hatched in our back yard suffered a lack of perfect results as well.

I had tried making Sunny Side Up eggs by using a lid and a little water at the end to steam the top of the egg(s) and it worked pretty well. Steaming eggs to a 'Hard Boil' was a trick I learned - the steam is always 212°F (100°C) while the temperature of a water bath can drop significantly when a cold egg (or three) is added. So, trying to 'Steam Poach' an egg was worth a try.

I tried a variety of 'lids' none of those I owned neatly fit any of the fry pans I had. The best luck was had with a simple aluminum pie pan from a store-bought (frozen) Key Lime Pie. The one I have fits nicely in the fry pan and contains the boiling water, steam and the egg as well. I think it reflects the heat better because it sits lower in the pan barely leaving a half-inch of 'steam space' above the egg. And, while the steam lifts it a bit off the surface of the water, it drops back and 'seals' again of its own accord. All theory, of course, so far a data set of three 'experiments' and as many successful (and tasty) outcomes - like a hundred percent! ;)

Fry pan

Aluminum Pie Tin

Small bowl

Spatula

White vinegar

Table salt

Egg

Pepper

Toast/English Muffin

Add about a half inch of water to the fry pan.

To this, add a half teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of vinegar.

Put the bread in the toaster!

Bring the mixture to a boil at high heat and cover the liquid with the inverted pie tin.

You can lower the heat a bit - just keep the water boiling.

Crack the (cold) egg into a small bowl and add seasoning.

Once the water is boiling rapidly, lift the pie tin; slide the egg into the water and cover with the pie tin.

Lower the temperature and wait 90 seconds, then remove the pie tin and remove the pan from the heat.

The white should be cooked nicely (not 'runny' at all) and the yolk should be liquid.

If you like it done a bit more, replace the pie tin for a bit (off the heat) and check in ten second intervals.

Butter the toast!

This time I served it on a slice of toasted French bread.

A buttered English Muffin is another excellent choice for the 'raft.'

If you can make a decent Hollanday's Sauce, you might want to add a slice of ham or Canadian bacon.

Also works well with a slice of (room temp) White American Cheese.