Tip - Poaching

 From http://asiarecipe.com/

Poaching

Welcome! I'll bet you thought this was about hunting out-of-season, right?

Well, actually we are talking about moist heat cooking methods. Moist heat 
cooking methods use liquid or steam to transfer heat, thus cooking the 
product and now we will focus on one particular type of moist heat 
cooking--poaching.

Poaching is certainly less practiced today than the methods covered in 
previous classes, sautéing and grilling. But poaching is full of creative 
possibilities and perfectly suited for today's busy lifestyles. Poaching is 
fast as well as heart smart, since there is no fat added to the cooking 
process.

The definition of poaching is "to cook an item by submerging it in a liquid 
that is just barley simmering." Poaching is not a rolling boil. Poaching, 
compared to boiling, is a much gentler technique. The temperature of the 
poaching liquid should be between 170 and 180 degrees. The surface of the 
liquid should be just "shivering," as the French say. This temperature is 
very important because boiling liquid toughens meat and fish, and can make 
fragile products like eggs and certain delicate fish disintegrate.

Besides proper poaching temperatures, special consideration should be given 
to the composition of the poaching liquid. This will flavor or at the very 
least season whatever is being poached in it. If water alone is used to 
poach, it should be well salted. If the water is not salted, the item being 
poached will taste insipid. (Poaching eggs is the one exception to this 
rule. The water should not be salted, but rather lightly vinegared, which 
helps the egg proteins to coagulate or "set" quickly.)

One of the most common poaching liquids is called a court bouillon. A court 
bouillon is best described as an aromatic poaching liquid. It should be 
packed with flavor which will in turn flavor whatever is being poached in 
it. There are many different variations of court bouillon. The liquid 
component can be water or stock. This liquid can then be flavored with a 
multitude of different ingredients like: celery, carrot, onion, garlic, 
lemon, wine, herbs, and spices. A court bouillon is prepared by simmering 
all of the ingredients until the liquid is sufficiently perfumed.

Once you have the poaching liquid, or court bouillon, ready and at the 
proper poaching temperature, the procedure is simple. Simply drop into the 
liquid whatever you wish to poach. As the ingredient cooks, maintain the 
proper poaching temperature. (There are some exceptions to this procedure. 
Some fish that are poached whole and are intended to be served cold are 
started in a cold instead of a hot court bouillon. But that is for another 
day...)

The difficulty in poaching is knowing when the ingredient is properly 
cooked. Unlike sautéing or grilling, you can not simply touch the product 
as it cooks to judge its doneness. Every time you want to check the 
doneness of an item, you must gently remove it from the poaching liquid 
using a slotted spoon or slotted spatula. At first, it may seem somewhat 
time consuming, but with practice, you will get a feeling for about how 
long certain products take to cook.

When an item is done, remove it from the poaching liquid, drain it, and 
serve with the appropriate sauce or condiment.