I recently stayed at a lovely B&B in Inverness in Scotland and had the most divine poached eggs on toast. They weren't poached in an egg poacher, but clearly done in a pan of boiling water. They were 'contained' but rough and looked and tasted fabulous. I tried doing this at home - breaking an egg into boiling salted water with a touch of vinegar (to bind), but ended up with a sort of poached egg in egg white soup - it was gross!
Does anyone have any advice on how this is done - ie. Poaching an egg WITHOUT an egg poacher? I'm kicking myself for not asking the guy at the b&b....
Thanks in advance!
MB

After the water comes to a boil, turn it down to a simmer. Then stir the water, creating a vortex of sorts, and drop the egg into it. The whirlpool swirls the white around the yolk and contains it.

I wouldn't salt the water, just use the vinegar.

That MUST be the secret!! Thanks Isabella...off to kitchen NOW!
Love this place.....there's always an answer to every dilemma!
MB

That's the trick. Word to the wise though Mimi. Your water may appear foamy as the eggs cook. Not to worry.
When you remove them with a large slotted spoon they'll be perfect.

Am doing RIGHT NOW! Mimi the siamese (in her fluffy padded harness) is helping.

MB

Also try to poach only the freshest eggs. The older the eggs, the messier the result, generally speaking.

I was just going to post the same advice. Save older eggs for hard boiling, as they are easier to peel.

Ok guys, tried it this morning. Three times and made a mess. I think it needs to be done in a DEEP pan, with a lot of water? I tried in vain and three times did the vortex thing, but made egg soup....with the freshest organic, free range eggs.
Will try again tomorrow!
MB

Oh I am so sorry Mimi. Yes a deep sauce pan with a quart or more of water. Oh I'm so sorry.

I was given this tip some years ago by a friend - place the egg in its shell in the boiling water for 30 seconds first (for a large egg, a bit less for smaller eggs), then scoop it out and crack into the water. It will hold together perfectly, in fact I have done it without the vinegar and it worked.

I've only used just enough water in a frying pan to cover the egg. Sometimes I have to spoon hot water over the top to cook the top. You will always have some shreds, so I suspect the poached eggs you ate in Scotland were trimmed before serving to you. You can always cheat and use an English muffin or crumpet ring in the pan. I once used an empty tunafish can with both lids removed.

I do the shallow skillet method too. A large slotted spoon is great for scooping them out. I find that sometimes they stick to the pan, so I just quickly scrape underneath them with my thinnest pancake turner to loosen them from the pan.

I've seen the trimmed/shaped egg thing too.

Another restaurant trick is to poach the egg then immerse it in ice water to hold until service, when it's reheated for just a few moments. I should think they're easier to trim when cold.

Has anyone mentioned that it can be helpful to crack the egg into a saucer, then gently slide the egg from the saucer into the simmering water? It's less likely to splash that way.

Edited to add: Alton Brown gives lots of great advice in a poaching episode of his show Good Eats on the Food Network, if you can manage to catch it. (called Mission Poachable) Also, here's a link to a page on the Food Network site with advice from Alton.

Have you tried the microwave version??

If you do the poached with water and pan, I crack open the egg into a small pyrex cup, then glide it in.

If you want to cheat, crack an egg into a large piece of saran wrap, make a little round pouch of the wrap, and dunk it in water til it's cooked

Thanks for all your advice everyone! I will experiment this week and see what works!
MB