re: poaching eggs, this article has a lot of good tips on how to make poaching easier/More Aesthetic, but you honestly don't need all of that. I have made poached eggs by getting a saucepan of water to simmering and opening an egg directly into the water. they may not be perfectly spherical but they will be edible and they will be DELICIOUS
I think the part that trips a lot of people up is getting the water the right heat and getting the egg out of the water when it's done. I usually get the water to a roiling boil and then turn the heat to low, so that the pot has bubbles on the bottom, but there aren't a lot of bubbles coming off the bottom and floating up. the water should be clear of bubbles and the surface juuust wiggling. remember that eggs cook FAST and you do not need much heat for them.
as for getting them out, get a slotted spoon and gently nudge it beneath the edge of the egg. this will usually cause it to float a bit, and you can kind of gently shove it around until it lands right in the spoon. don't worry about all the miscellaneous egg white bits still floating around - you're here for the Good Stuff, which is the yolk and the bits of white directly around the yolk.
eat it while it's still hot. enjoy!!
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