when does a boiled egg become a poached egg?

when does a boiled egg become a poached egg? - Top view of halved soft boiled egg placed on marble table and spiced with salt and pepper

This is a very serious question.

  • a poached egg is an egg without its shell in boiling water.

  • a boiled egg is an egg in its shell in boiling water.

So, if an egg is being boiled but then cracks out of its shell before it has finished cooking, does it become a poached egg? What is the tipping point?



Best Answer

You've answered your own question already. Eggs are boiled in-shell and poached without their shell. The major difference is whether the whites can spread out in the water.

It's not uncommon for eggs to crack slightly during boiling and for a small amount of albumin to leak out; this is generally discarded. I've never seen an egg explode out of its shell in the middle of being boiled, and if that did happen, I would discard the result without worrying about what to call it.




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Is a soft boiled egg the same as a poached egg?

1) poached egg is done without the shell while soft boiled with the shell, 2) soft boiled egg can be done with a combination of aggressive temperature and fine controlled timing, while poached egg is done with fine controlled temperature and relaxed timing.

How long does it take for an egg to be poached?

The key to poaching is a gentle heat that will give your eggs a firm white and a loose yolk. In just 4 minutes, the eggs will be delicate and delicious \u2014 ready to serve. Carefully scoop them out of the pan, drain them and transfer them to serving plates.

How do you know when eggs are poached?

To check whether they're done, remove one carefully from the pan with a slotted spoon and give it a gentle push with a teaspoon. If it feels too soft (use your instincts), put it back and give the eggs a minute or two more in the water to firm up.



POACHED EGGS | how to poach an egg (perfectly)




More answers regarding when does a boiled egg become a poached egg?

Answer 2

Poaching is less about the shell and more about the temperature.

Most boiled eggs- especially hard boiled- use boiling water- that is water at 212F or 100C at sea level. This is a vigorous boil.

Poaching, on the other hand, should stay at a low simmer. Somewhere around 160-180F. This is high enough to kill pathogens and denature proteins but because it is a lower temp, proteins cook more gently, will be more tender, and squeeze out less liquid.

Unfortunately, language is not so concise.
To make things confusing, soft-boiled egg recipes call for lower temperatures. Sometimes they are brought to a boil and then removed from the heat to allow to cook more gently. It would be accurate to say that this egg was poached. (Even though it would probably be referred to as a "boiled" egg)

As you have noticed, there can be overlap in the meanings of these words. You could say that you poached an egg in its shell if you were careful with your temps and wanted a tender egg (and you wanted to sound fancy). You would say you boiled your shell-less egg when you drizzle it into egg drop soup.

Egg that leaks out of the shell of a boiled egg is not called either because it is not part of the intended preparation.

Answer 3

poach (v.2) Look up poach at Dictionary.com "cook in liquid," early 15c., from Old French poché, past participle of pochier (12c.), literally "put into a pocket" (as the white of an egg forms a pocket for the yolk), from poche "bag, pocket," from Frankish *pokka "bag," from Proto-Germanic *puk- (see poke (n.)). Related: Poached; poaching.

sooo, since this is about semantics, if you dont pocket your egg yolk in egg white while preparing them, and not in the shell, you are not poaching your eggs. Leaking boiled eggs are not poached eggs. Neither are peeled soft-boiled eggs.

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