Poaching Is Easy, Fatless Cooking
(NewsUSA)
- For a simple, nutrient-dense meal in a hurry, poached eggs fill the
bill. Once you've brought water or another liquid to a boil, it takes
only about 5 minutes to poach eggs. The cooking itself could hardly be
easier. Just slide eggs into the liquid, set a timer and lift the eggs
out with a slotted spoon when the time is up.
Diet-wise eggs poached in water provide you all the
nutrients of
eggs -; including high-quality protein and varying amounts of a wide
variety of vitamins and minerals -; without added fat. All this good
nutrition comes with a small price tag, too. Eggs are one of today's
best protein bargains.
If you like, for added flavor, you can poach eggs in
broth or wine.
For vitamin C, use a tomato-based juice, sauce or soup or, for calcium,
poach eggs in milk. Just keep in mind that any unclear liquid will lend
its color to the eggs. You don't need to add vinegar, salt or anything
else to the poaching liquid and you don't need to stir. Nicely shaped
eggs are easier to produce in a relatively quiet liquid that is gently
simmering.
If there is a secret to pretty poached eggs, it's that
very fresh
eggs straight out of the refrigerator hold their shape better and
produce fewer "angel wings" in the liquid than older or warmer eggs.
That's it. Just follow the steps below for a quick-and-easy treat and
see aeb.org for ideas on how to serve poached eggs.
1. In a saucepan or deep omelet pan or skillet, bring 2
to 3 inches
of water, milk, broth, tomato juice, wine or other liquid to boiling.
Reduce the heat to keep the liquid gently simmering. Break cold eggs,
one at a time, into a custard cup or saucer or break several into a
bowl. Holding the dish close to the liquid's surface, slip in the eggs.
2. Let the eggs cook in the liquid until the egg whites
are
completely set and the yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, about 5
minutes. If you're not serving the eggs with the liquid, lift out the
eggs with a slotted spoon. Drain the eggs in the spoon or on paper
towels. Trim any rough edges, if you like. Serve.
3. The easiest poaching method requires only a saucepan
and a
slotted spoon, but there are many types of gadgets for poaching or
steaming eggs. Rings (which can also be used for fried eggs) and
pierced, egg-shaped, poaching spoons help eggs retain their shape as
they cook in the liquid.
Tiny pans and nonstick pan inserts with egg-shaped cups
steam-cook
eggs held above the liquid. Because the inserts insulate eggs from the
hot water, allow 6 to 9 minutes of cooking time when using them.
<>Electric egg cookers also steam eggs and most of these
appliances
make hard-cooked eggs, too. Some cookers even have flat griddle inserts
for making fried or scrambled eggs.
|
Recipe for Poached Eggs on Roasted Veggies
Ingredients
:
1/2 cup bottled reduced-fat zesty salad dressing
4 portobello mushrooms
2 medium sweet red and/or green peppers, sliced
into eighths
2 medium summer squash (zucchini and/or yellow crookneck), sliced
lengthwise into quarters
Water
4 eggs
2 English Muffins, split and toasted
In large bowl, pour dressing over mushrooms. Stir to
evenly coat
mushrooms with dressing. With slotted spoon, remove mushrooms. Set
aside. Repeat to coat pepper strips and squash slices with dressing.
Remove pepper and squash. Place on baking sheet. Broil about 6 inches
from heat until pepper and squash soften and begin to brown, about 5
minutes. Turn pepper and squash. Add mushrooms, cap-side up. Continue
broiling until mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes. Turn mushrooms.
Continue broiling until pepper and squash are golden brown, about 3
minutes.
Meanwhile, in saucepan or deep omelet pan, bring 2 to 3
inches of
water to boiling. Reduce heat to keep water gently simmering. Break
cold eggs, 1 at a time, into custard cup or saucer or break them all
into bowl. Holding cup close to water's surface, slip eggs, one by one,
into water. Cook until whites are completely set and yolks begin to
thicken but are not hard, about 5 minutes. Drain in spoon or on paper
towels. Trim any rough edges, if desired.
For each serving, top 1 mushroom cap with 4 pepper
strips, 2 squash slices and 1 poached egg. Serve with muffin
half. Makes 4 servings
Nutrition information for 1 serving of 1/4 recipe using
Italian
dressing, red pepper and zucchini: 235 calories, 10 gm total fat, 213
mg cholesterol, 525 mg sodium, 870 mg potassium, 26 gm carbohydrate, 12
gm protein and 10% or more of the RDI for vitamins A and C, niacin,
riboflavin, thiamin, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, dietary fiber
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