How to hold and then poach egg yolks?
I've been working on this riff on an Asian noodle soup. As the final garnish, I want to drop an egg yolk in the middle of the individual serving bowls of soup, to warm for a couple of minutes in the boiling hot soup and to burst with the first stir. Sounds simple, right? It's giving me a problem though.
I use the whites in the soup. I need to separate the eggs at least about 10 minutes before I drop the yolks. Separated yolks are really touchy, they want to break before their time. That they are at room temperature (for reasons that should be fairly obvious) doesn't help. I've been holding the yolks in little custard cups. I've tried putting a little water (hot and cool) in the cups, I've also tried broth from the soup. Even doing those things, the yolks break as I try (ever so gently) to drop them onto the soup.
Any ideas?
Best Answer
I do this all the time, I simply leave the yolk in the shell, then I use the shell to gently place the yolk into the spot I like. Dipping the shell into the broth and then letting the yolk float out will keep it together.
You could try heating the yolk in the shell by putting it in a hot water bath, seems a bit overkill to be honest. Chilling it also may help keep it together but then it won't cook the way you want in the residual heat. Room temperature is your best bet.
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How do you keep poached eggs from separating?
Crack your eggs into small bowls or ramekins before adding to the pot. Cracking directly into the water will cause the yolk to drop to the bottom of the pan, separating from the whites. This technique will also help you bust 'em out quickly if you're poaching many at a time.How do you hold a poached egg?
Once you've got a pile of poached eggs, you can hold them for up to five days: Let the poached eggs chill out in a bowl cool water as you cook as many as you need. Then place them in plastic containers, cover with more cool water, and store in the fridge.Can you poach just egg yolk?
In small pan bring water (and vinegar if using) to a soft boil. Meanwhile, toast and butter (or otherwise dress) English muffin halves. Drop egg yolks into simmering water and cook for one min (or less) until done to desired consistancy.Can poached eggs be made in advance?
Yep, you can poach eggs ahead of time and simply reheat them for serving. First, pour water into a deep 10-inch skillet. You will want the water to be about 3 inches deep. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.POACHED EGGS | how to poach an egg (perfectly)
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Answer 2
Try this: http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/perfect-yolks
A container of oil is placed in a water bath that is held at a constant temperature. You can experiment with 62 - 65C to find what you prefer. Raw yolks are gently lowered into the oil and cook for about an hour. Remove gently with slotted spoon and serve. They can hold for a couple of hours, particularly if you use a lower initial temperature, then lower the temp to 60C after about an hour.
If you don't have a circulator, I am sure you can experiment and achieve similar results in a simmering pot of water.
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