Poaching (cooking)

Poaching is a cooking technique that involves heating food submerged in a liquid, such as water, milk, stock or wine. Poaching is differentiated from the other "moist heat" cooking methods, such as simmering and boiling, in that it uses a relatively lower temperature (about 70–80 °C or 158–176 °F). This temperature range makes it particularly suitable for delicate food, such as eggs, poultry, fish and fruit, which might easily fall apart or dry out using other cooking methods. Poaching is often considered a healthy cooking method because it does not use fat for cooking or flavoring the food.

This moist-heat cooking method uses a sautoir or other shallow cooking vessel; heat is transferred by conduction from the pan, to the liquid, to the food. Shallow poaching is best suited for boneless, naturally tender, single-serving-size, sliced, or diced pieces of meat, poultry, or fish.

This preparation involves smearing the inside of the pan with whole butter and adding aromatics to the pan. The items to be cooked are then placed on top of the aromatics presentation side up. Cold poaching liquid is poured in until the product is partially submerged and then heated. The liquid should never be allowed to boil but kept as close to boiling as possible.

A more contemporary technique of shallow poaching involves BPA-free plastic bags and is very convenient for the home cook.

This technique is similar to shallow poaching, but the product is fully submerged. The pot used for deep poaching should hold the food, liquid, and aromatics comfortably. There should also be enough space so the surface can be skimmed throughout cooking. A tight-fitting lid may help bring the liquid up to temperature.

The poaching liquid traditionally uses a stock, broth or court-bouillon, which can consist of an acid (wine, lemon juice) and aromatics, such as herbs and spices (for example, bouquet garni and mirepoix), although any flavorful liquid can be used in poaching. The liquid should ideally be around 70–85 °C (158–185 °F), but when poaching chicken, the chicken must reach an internal temperature of at least 74 °C (165 °F) in the core to be eaten safely.

A significant amount of flavor is transferred from the food to the cooking liquid, and so making stock. For maximum flavor, the cooking liquid (stock or cuisson) is usually reduced and used as the base for a soup or sauce.

Poached eggs are generally cooked in water, with or without vinegar, fish in white wine, poultry in stock, and fruit in red wine.