Roll the egg out, and keep it moving gently with a wooden
spoon.
COMMON POACHED EGG
QUESTIONS
Q: I’ve read that adding vinegar to the water will
help my eggs keep their shape better. Is this true?
Yes, . . . sort of. Eggs set up when their proteins
denature and coagulate. Egg proteins can be
denatured by heat, but they can also be denatured by
acid. Adding vinegar to your water indeed causes
them to set faster, but the effect is not quick. Rather
than causing them to set faster in the short term,
which is what you care about, vinegar just causes
them to overset as they cook, becoming dry and
tough. What’s more, vinegar can make your eggs
taste, well, vinegary.Q: Does salting make my eggs cook any better?