Why is poaching food

Usually the most delicate of foods, like eggs, fish, fruit, and some organ meats are poached. The food must be completely submerged in the water. Simmering is usually reserved for tougher cuts or items that need more time to cook.

A simmer is sometimes called a "gentle boil. NOTE: You can simmer with a lid, but remember the temperature inside the pot will rise and the simmer can very easily turn into a boil. The simmered item renders a broth that is served as the sauce with your dish. Boiling food is the process of cooking it in a boiling liquid, usually water. This temperature varies with the atmospheric pressure, which in turn varies with both altitude and weather.

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I Accept Show Purposes. Another approach to poaching eggs that's a little more rustic is to simply crack the eggs into a simmering pot of soup or sauce that you will then enjoy in its entirety, with no need to scoop the eggs out separately as in this Tomato Soup with Poached Eggs. With its typically mild flavor and lean, delicate texture that's particularly susceptible to overcooking, seafood of all sorts is a perfect candidate for poaching.

Shrimp , salmon, trout, cod, halibut, and other favorite fishes stay moist after poaching, and can be served hot, chilled, or at room temperature. Get hooked on some of our favorite preparations; start with this easy technique for poaching salmon fillets in a skillet or try Poached Cod in Tomato Broth.

For a truly luxurious experience, try poaching seafood in olive oil or butter; this Oil-Poached Halibut with Fennel, Tomatoes, and Mashed Potatoes is simply fabulous. If you haven't tried poached chicken especially chicken breast , it's time to see what you've been missing.

Because the results do not look especially glamorous—pale, unadorned meat emerging from a thin broth— it's easy to write off this cooking method for chicken. But poaching is one of the very best ways to prepare chicken for salads , pot pies, enchiladas, and so many other dishes that call for cooked chicken as a main ingredient. Since poaching maintains moisture and tenderness, the chicken in your recipe will never taste like "leftovers.

Poaching is one of our favorite ways to turn fresh fruit into an elegant dessert. This method is particularly good for transforming underripe stone fruits into something tender and flavorful. Minted Poached Peaches is a good example.