Perfect Poached Eggs

Adapted from The Kitchn's How To Easily Poach an Egg

Ingredients
1.5" water in the bottom of the pan
4 large eggs
2 T. rice vinegar or other mild-tasting vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired

Directions
Add 1.5" of water to the pan (I used a 4 qt. pot for four eggs) and bring to a boil on high.  Add the vinegar.  Take the water down to a simmer: Turn the heat down and let the water relax into a brisk simmer. You should see bubbles coming up to the surface, but it won't be rolling. (It's easier and quicker to control the simmer if you bring it to a boil first, then reduce the heat rather than trying to get it to the perfect simmer from the get-go.)  (Medium-low on my stove.  You can also control the simmer level using a lid.  Too close to boiling?  Remove the lid.  Not simmering enough?  Add the lid.)

Crack each egg into a small dish.  This will help you ease the egg into the water.

The vinegar is optional, but many people like to add vinegar to the boiling water because it helps the loose, billowy white cohere to itself and cook into a more compact shape. The taste is not noticeable in the finished egg, although you might notice a firmer, more "squeaky" texture to the white.

Use the dish to carefully lower the egg into the water and then tip it out into the water. Make sure the water is at a bare simmer.

Cook for 4 minutes for one egg, to obtain an egg halfway between gooey runny yolk and firm hard-boiled yolk.   Add 30 seconds for each additional egg.  5:30 was medium for the first two eggs (I need to shorten this time in the future) and a total of 7:30 was a creamy well-done for the second pair of eggs.  (The final cooking time for a poached egg is very much up to you, and it depends on how well you like your eggs done and how hot the water is. But 4 minutes, give or take, in lightly simmering water, will give you a firm white and a gooey but still runny yolk.)

Use a slotted spoon to remove the egg from the water.  Tip to drain excess water from the top.  Optionally, pat the egg dry lightly with a paper towel.

Season and eat! Place the poached egg on a salad, piece of toast, or a plate and season to taste with salt and pepper. Eat immediately!

Recipe Notes
Poaching Multiple Eggs: If you want to poach multiple eggs at once, make sure your pan is big enough to accommodate all your eggs without crowding them; poach in batches if necessary. Crack each egg into its own dish before you start and slip them into the water one after the next. Add an extra 30 seconds or so to the cooking time for each extra egg.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 2.0                    2 eggs
Amount Per Serving
calories 140
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 9 g	14 %
Saturated Fat 3 g	15 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 430 mg	143 %
Sodium 130 mg	5 %
Potassium 0 mg	0 %
Total Carbohydrate 2 g	1 %
Dietary Fiber 0 g	0 %
Sugars 0 g
Protein 12 g	24 %
Vitamin A	12 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	4 %
Iron	8 %