Perfect Poached Eggs

My friend Heather recently taught me how to poach eggs, and I've been totally addicted to them ever since!  They really make the perfect lunch along with whatever you have floating around in the fridge.  I especially like those amazingly oozy, gooey egg yolks that spill out over everything else on your plate - yum!  Here I've paired a couple of poached eggs with hot sauce and grated Cheddar, a simple spinach salad, roasted asparagus, and mango pulled pork.

If you've never made poached eggs before, you should definitely give it a try - it's one of those things that seems really intimidating until you actually do it!  Bring a big pot of water to a boil along with a splash of white vinegar.  Crack an egg into a little bowl.  Once the water is boiling, stir in in a circular pattern with a couple of chopsticks to get it moving.  Carefully slide in the egg, and then gently keep the water moving for a few seconds with the chopsticks - you'll get some pieces of egg white scattered around, but don't stress about them.  You can also add another egg at this point if you want two eggs.  Let the eggs simmer for about a minute, and then poke them a bit with a slotted spoon to make sure the whites are set but the yolks are still soft.  When the eggs are done to your liking, pull them out with a slotted spoon.  Shake off any extra water, and then plop them on your plate and season with salt and whatever else you like (I'm a fan of hot sauce!).  Give it a try - it's definitely a skill worth having!