How to Cook: Poaching

Today in our “How to Cook” series we take on something a little more intimidating, but actually quite easy, poaching.

Poaching is a type of moist-heat cooking that involves submerging food in a barely simmering liquid such as water, broth or milk. Compared to boiling which reaches high heats, poaching is done when the liquid reaches a temperature of 160-180°F. By cooking at such a low temperature, many nutrients are preserved in the food and meats stay tender.

We’ve found that the best foods to poach are poultry, eggs, fish and seafood. Since some of the flavor of the food is lost in the cooking liquid, some recipes recommend using the remaining liquid in another part of the recipe or simmering it down to use as a sauce.  

Healthy and Easy Poaching Recipes

Ready to start poaching? Here are some tasty and healthy recipes to try.  

• Poached Salmon – At Nutritional Weight & Wellness, we always encourage people to eat more omega-3 rich salmon, but many people are afraid to try cooking fish at home. Use this simple recipe and don’t be intimidated, you’ll love it!
• Cream Poached Eggs – Unlike traditional poached eggs, cream poached eggs are much less finicky and the chance of breaking the yolk much less likely. Serve this up for your next brunch, or fast dinner any night of the week.
• Poached Fruit – Poaching fruit is a great way to use up the fall harvest when you are tired of just eating the fruit raw. It also serves as a way to eat the fruit even when it hasn’t quite ripened yet.

Happy cooking! Let us know what works well for you and which poaching recipes you have on repeat. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at the bottom of the page and stay tuned for more “How to Cook” articles, coming soon.