I’ve come to consider myself as somewhat of an accomplished home cook. I can throw flavours together that taste good and satisfy friends and family without any major stress. However there is a stark contrast between being a competent cook and a competent chef. I would go so far to say that the two are almost mutually exclusive. A good friend of mine sent me this quote that says:

“A chef must think  like a scientist, organise like an accountant, inspire and motivate like a warrior, move like a trackstar, plate like an artist and cook like a grandma.” 

So out of all of that I have the cooking (and napping) like a grandma down, the rest of it eludes me. In other words I am a baby chef with a long way to go!

Yeah this isn’t true. 

Did you know that the life as a chef doesn’t actually get represented all that truthfully in the media – I know right what a shocker! It’s less pristine white jackets, creating new and interesting food everyday and getting critical acclaim and more tiredness you didn’t know was possible, never-ending cleaning and the daily grind. The same tasks day in and out, pumping out food as fast and well as you possibly can and trying to keep as much composure as is humanly possible.

All of this is true, but the bizarre thing is how much I actually find myself absolutely freaking loving it. I’ve  never identified myself as a masochist but I find myself looking forward to getting absolutely smashed and being so tired I could cry.

What is wrong with me?

It’s kind of liberating being able to do things I never thought I could or would do. For example I can now poach 500 eggs in a day. Yep. 500. And 90% of those are perfectly round, shiny little balls of happiness (the other 10% I cover with hollandaise on an -eggs benedict so no-one sees them). Win win!

With this in mind I thought I might do a quick post on egg poaching – I know I know it’s pretty bland, but I have so many friends and family that feel intimidated by the humble poachie. Here’s a bit of a guide I hope you find useful!

Step one

POACHING LIQUID
You need some good old fashioned white vinegar. This is essential because without it the proteins in the egg white won’t coagulate. The ratio they taught us at chef school was 1/4 cup vinegar to 1 litre water but I actually reckon this is a bit conservative. You want to be able to taste the vinegar in the water, don’t measure just glug. Not only will the egg hold its shape but you can have heaps in the water and they will not stick to each other – ever! You also want a nice deep pot to poach in if you can, it’s going to make them hold their shape much better.

Step two

TEMPERATURE
This one is contentious as I was always taught that you want a moderate heat below a simmer, where the bubbles don’t break the surface of the water. However at work as we poach an average of 15 eggs at a time the water is literally on a rolling boil the whole time so the eggs never touch the bottom of the pan and flatten. So if you want a round egg I’d recommend a slightly higher temperature, gentle boil is good.

Step three

TIME
As we all know good poachie should have a firm white and a runny yolk so it’s important to leave them alone in the pot for 3 minutes. It’s hard to let go but you need to let them do their thing otherwise you risk breaking the little darlings. At 3 minutes you wanna get your egg out of the water, let it drain, trim it up and serve it immediately.

See how you go, I plan on posting a video on it in the not too distant future  (once I’ve had my hair done – seriously it’s been 8 months *shudders*).

I feel like every day I make so many mistakes – but each day I make one less and it’s only a matter of time before I get that perfect game.

It’s coming, I can feel it.

Cheers

Rach x

(and of course Jeremiah)