Tip Friday Poaching Eggs in Batches

 Poaching Eggs in Batches

Ever wonder how you can serve a large brunch and have everyone eating a warm dish together?

Well here is the answer.

The eggs can be poached in advanced and placed into a bowl of cold water.

Then when the eggs are required they can be dropped back into warm tap water and plated!

Prepare To Poach Multiple Eggs at a Time

Place a stock pot filled with about 2-3 inches of water on your stove. You want to add a pinch of salt to the water. Make sure the pot is wide enough to hold your eggs but not crowd them.

Break your eggs 1 at a time and add them to a large cup. With my family of six I usually use an entire carton of eggs. (12-18). You may need to break the eggs into batches of 4-6 eggs for enough space to cook the eggs.

Place a large strainer over a bowl and let the excess liquid drip into the bowl. I save this for a time when I only need egg white for my recipe. More on that later.

Carefully add the strained eggs into a large bowl. The eggs will now cook with less foam.

Place a steamer basket insert inside the pot. The water should be just starting to bubble when you add the eggs. You don’t want the water too cold or too hot.

Carefully tip the eggs into the basket. The closer you get to the surface of the water the better. Try to space the eggs evenly.

After about 15 seconds, you can very gently start moving them and flipping them with a slotted wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Remember you want to be very careful not to break them.

It takes about three to four minutes for the egg white to be fully set with the yolks still tender. They should move freely inside the strainer.

Once they are cooked lift the strainer out of the pot. Repeat the cooking step as many times as necessary until you have all the eggs you need.

Save the Eggs For Later

Immediately transfer the eggs to a bowl filled with very cold water.

Once all of your eggs are cooked and chilled transfer them to a sealable container and top them up with cold water. Cover and store in the fridge for up to five days.

Reheat and Serve

To reheat the eggs fill up a large bowl with hot water. Return the eggs to the steamer and lower them into the hot water.

Let them sit for 2 minutes to warm up topping up with more hot water as necessary.

When ready to serve use a clean paper towel to remove the excess water.

Need A Plan B?

Poach a carton of double yoke eggs!

Want to just use the egg whites? Learn how to Freeze and store the leftover whites.

Freezing Egg Whites

Egg whites can be frozen as is. For the greatest flexibility, pour each one into separate compartments of an ice cube tray. Freeze until solid and then transfer the egg white cubes to a freezer safe container or zip top bag. That way you’ll be able to reach for the exact amount you need. Don’t forget to date the container!

Both egg whites and yolks can be frozen successfully for up to a year.

To thaw, transfer the cubes to the refrigerator overnight. They’ll lose a little of their foaming power after being frozen, but will beat to their best volume if they rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Most images in my Tip Friday Series use free stock photos.

This article is part of the Tips That Help in the Kitchen Series, Tip Friday.