Recipe: Slow Poached Eggs: (Onsen Tamago)

Its a typical Thursday afternoon, and I have no homework, no studying, nothing. My mom just bought a carton of cage free large eggs, so what better way to eat them by poaching eggs, or even better, slow poaching eggs...

To me, slow poached eggs, or Onsen Tamago in Japanese, are one of my favorite methods of cooking eggs. I can't tell you how many people ooh and ahh when I crack a cooked egg out of what looks like an uncooked intact eggshell.

In fact when I first saw the Onsen Tamago in Japan, I thought the Japanese had altered the egg with technology, or something crazy like that. But legend has it that old ladies would bring baskets of eggs with them to the natural hot springs that are all around Japan (hot springs and public baths are important national pastimes), and while they were there, the hot spring water cooked the eggs at a constant temperature of around 60 degrees C, or about 141 degrees F. The technique produces eggs that, because they are slowly coaxed into cookedness, are creamier and more unctuous than regular poached eggs.

No pictures today, but I'll put these eggs in the fridge after I cook them, and use them tomorrow in something. Hopefully they turn out yummy...

Slow Poached Eggs (Onsen Tamago):

Cooking Time: About 45 minutes

- Eggs

Directions:

Fill your biggest, deepest pot with water and put it on the stove over the lowest possible heat.

Use something to keep the eggs from sitting on the bottom of the pot, where the temperature will be highest. If you have a cake rack or a steamer rack, use it. If not, improvise: a few chopsticks scattered helter skelter across the bottom of the pan will do the trick.

Use an instant-read thermometer to monitor the temperature in the pot, if its too hot, add cold water or ice cubes. Once the water is between 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit, add the eggs to the pot. Let them bathe for 40 to 45 minutes, checking the temperature regularly with the thermometer or by sticking your finger in the water (it should be the temperature of a very hot bath), and moderating it as needed.

Use eggs immediately or store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours. If you plan on storing them, chill them until cold in an ice water bath. If you refrigerate eggs, warm them under hot tap water for about a minute before using.

To serve the eggs, crack them one at a time into a small saucer. The thin white will not and should not be firm or solid. Tip the dish to pour off and discard the loosest part of the white, then slide the egg on the dish it's destined for.