Poach
Poaching is cooking food gently in liquid held at a low temperature, well below a boil, so the surface barely shivers with movement. The liquid can be water, broth, milk, wine, or a lightly seasoned court bouillon. Because the heat is so mild, poaching cooks delicate foods without the agitation that a rolling boil would cause, keeping them tender and intact.
Cooks poach fragile items that would toughen, dry out, or fall apart with harsher heat, such as eggs, fish fillets, chicken breasts, and fruit like pears. A gentle poach keeps a chicken breast moist and silky where high heat would leave it stringy. Watch the liquid rather than a timer for doneness cues, and keep the temperature low enough that only occasional tiny bubbles rise. For poached eggs, a splash of vinegar in the water helps the whites set quickly into a neat shape.
Cooks poach fragile items that would toughen, dry out, or fall apart with harsher heat, such as eggs, fish fillets, chicken breasts, and fruit like pears. A gentle poach keeps a chicken breast moist and silky where high heat would leave it stringy. Watch the liquid rather than a timer for doneness cues, and keep the temperature low enough that only occasional tiny bubbles rise. For poached eggs, a splash of vinegar in the water helps the whites set quickly into a neat shape.