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Poached Eggs I - Old Bob - "The Standard"

Blog: Norfolk Single Dad
Posted by: Eddie2sox Sunday 25th November 2007, 11:59am
Last edited 25/11/2007 11:59am by Eddie2sox

Off we go on another culinary adventure!

First in to bat is Old Bob, founder member of the Grumpy Old Men‘s Club at The Woolpack. His method was dictated to me in person last week, so you won’t be able to find it online anywhere except here. The instructions I received were as follows:

1 - Bubbling boil.

2 - Few drops any vinegar.

3 - Swirl round.

4 - Drop egg in “just above” water.

5 - 2 minutes.

6 - Remove.

7 - Eat!

Well, when we made the random draw to determine the running order for this experiment, I was delighted that Bob‘s name was first to be drawn, as this method is pretty much the way most people would probably poach an egg. And what a good first result it produced, nice work Old Timer!

Ease & Effort : 3.5

With instructions as simple as these there is no difficulty for even the most basic amateur cook to make a decent fist of it. The only very slight reservation I have was the anxiety I felt when dropping the egg into boiling water from such a low altitude, but that’s almost irrelevant. I didn’t scald my knuckles by the way! Bob says use “any vinegar”, and the first one I saw in the cupboard was red wine vinegar which worked just fine. The egg settled delightfully intact in the centre of the water.

Presentation : 4

As you can see this looks just about perfect. I would have marked slightly higher, but with the first competitor I think you have to keep something in reserve? So, looked great, easy to make, how did it taste?

Yolk : 2

Almost top marks, but for me this was slightly - and I mean very, VERY slightly, too runny. I think an added 15/20 seconds cooking time would have gained a maximum 2.5.

White : 2

Again, just about spot on, but again VERY slightly on the soft side for me. However, if you’re a poached egg-a-phobe, try this method for a great result.

Scores On The Doors

Old Bob - 11.5

2 - Rick Stein

3 - Mrs Beeton

4 - Ainsley Harriott

5 - James Martin

6 - Vash The Stampede

7 - Mahalo

8 - Poached Egg Machine

9 - Delia Smith

10 - Mr Breakfast

11 - Australian Egg Board

12 - Woolpack Wally

New this time - YOUR chance to participate in the world’s best blog-based cooking/tasting eggy competition. The Welsh Rarebit thread prompted loads of comments and emails, and I wish I’d shared some of them with you. So. Email me at trix68@hotmail.co.uk or leave a comment on the blog.

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