To cook food gently in liquid that is kept just below the boiling point, with only occasional small bubbles breaking the surface. This delicate method preserves the food's shape and creates tender textures.
From Old French 'pochier', meaning 'to enclose in a bag', originally referring to cooking eggs in their shells or in pouches. The technique evolved to describe any gentle cooking in barely simmering liquid, maintaining the concept of gentle, enclosed cooking.
Poaching is the gentlest form of moist-heat cooking, operating in the sweet spot between 160-180°F where proteins coagulate slowly without toughening. This technique was crucial in medieval cooking for preparing delicate foods for the sick or elderly, and it remains the gold standard for cooking fish and eggs without losing their delicate textures.
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