New Things

[akirlu]

New food thing -- microwave poached eggs. Last week when it was a bit warm I was making chop salads for dinner and adding a poached egg on top to each serving to up the protein. Poaching a couple of eggs is way quicker than hard-boiling them, and is imho equally yummy. Over the weekend I made poached eggs on toast for breakfast both days: TJ's whole-grain & oat toast, butter, a poached egg, and then top with fresh basil and a sprinkling of feta of parmesan/romano/asiago. Very tasty, very easy, and very little heat added to the kitchen to do it.

New social thing -- leverage the network. Was chatting with the women I usually commute in to work with (several of them knit, too, so that was the ice-breaker that got me into the inner circle), and mentioned that I'm still looking for a dog boarding situation for our Boston trip because the local guy was booked, and wound up with a personal recommendation for a sitter who might be available. Yay, network. Also found out that if you enter any item into the Exhibits at the Puyallup fair, you get free tickets to go. Well, heck. I'm going to be knitting things and maybe crocheting things anyway for my own amusement, might as well get some mileage out of the finished objects. And we never have managed to get to the Puyallup fair, so I reckon this is as good a push as any.

Those of my friends who are local and who sew might certainly also consider entering something in the Home Arts exhibits. What the heck, if you're doing it anyway. There are separate divisions for those who teach or sell professionally, too.

Comments

[brithistorian.livejournal.com]

I could just google it, but it's more social to ask you: How do you poach an egg in the microwave? Is there a special trick to it?

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

As it turns out there really isn't much trick to it at all. I got the idea from TheKitchn, the food and cooking blog arm of Apartment Therapy. Their version is a bit more complicated than what I do, but for reference you can see it here. I don't fiddle with the 80% power bit, and I don't bother with the vinegar, and they come out fine anyway. Basic deal: 1/3-1/2 cup warm water in a microwaveable cup or bowl, crack an egg into the water, cover the container, zap it for 60 seconds. Depending on your microwave, you might want to run it for a little longer after that, but definitely check after just one minute. When the white is cooked, fish that sucker out with a slotted spoon.

You just need enough water so the egg is fully submerged in water -- the more water you use, the longer your cook time will be, and it's not really linear, so if you want to do two eggs it seems to go quicker to do them sequentially rather than double the amount of water, because you'll need to more-than-double the time, IME.

This is actually quick enough that I may yet start having poached egg on toast on weekday mornings before I leave for the train, and I normally never cook breakfast on workdays.

[brithistorian.livejournal.com]

That sounds crazy easy - I think I'll give it a try for breakfast tomorrow!

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, crazy easy is pretty much what it is. Re-reading the page at The Kitchn, I see that the point of the vinegar is to improve coagulation/cohesion of the egg white, and since I have a bottle of rice vinegar stationed in the spice rack right by the microwave, I may try a shot or two of that in the water the next time I do this.

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

I love going to the Fair! If you decide to go and want company, I'd totally be up for it--with a little planning, because my calendar is always in flux. But, please, let me know if/when you decide to go!