Poaching is an often-overlooked culinary technique that could be described as the best middle-ground strategy between boiling and simmering. Engaging in poaching means immersing food in hot but not boiling liquid, gently and slowly cooking your ingredients. It's often applied to eggs, seafood, or poultry to not only enhance the taste but also to keep the delicacy of the food texture intact.

This culinary technique is ideal for ingredients that require a gentle touch. For example, poached eggs are a favorite topping for dishes like Eggs Benedict or eggs with red wine sauce. Other foods that shine when poached include salmon, chicken, and even fruit. Throughout the 90s, poaching saw a resurgence of interest due to its ability to cook food without the need for fat, yet still providing a moist and flavorful output. Chefs have perfected this technique over the years to strike the perfect balance between a gentle cooking method and food safety.

Understanding poaching requires knowledge of its three main forms: shallow poaching, deep poaching, and par-poaching. Each one has its own nuances and benefits to the texture and flavor of your dish.

Shallow poaching allows for partial submersion of your ingredients in a liquid and usually includes steam production through the use of a lidded pan or a specially prepared piece of parchment paper known as a French cartouche. The resulting liquid can then be condensed into a flavorful sauce.

On the other hand, deep poaching calls for a complete submersion of the food in liquid. This technique doesn’t require a lid to trap steam, but may require a cartouche if your ingredients float. For instance, Tom Colicchio utilizes deep poaching in his recipe for Poached Peaches with Baked Ricotta, ensuring an even texture and easy peel-off of the skin.

Par-poaching is a variation of deep poaching where the food gets a resting period off the heat in the hot poaching liquid for finishing the cook. This approach provides the gentlest heat application, allowing for maximum tenderness of the ingredient. It's highly beneficial when poaching chicken breasts, which can quickly become tough and stringy when overcooked.

While water, wine, stock, or broth are the common bases when poaching, a cream, milk, coconut milk, or citrus juice can bring a different twist. Additions of butter, vinegar, citrus, onions, or herbs can infuse more flavor, while spices can add a touch of color.

If you wanted a variation, an olive oil or butter base is another flavorful option. In this case, cooking is done at low heat only until done. It differs from confit cooking, which involves a longer cooking period to achieve a soft texture.

To begin poaching, heat your choice of base along with your flavorings until it’s just about to simmer. Then, add the ingredient you plan to poach. The optimal cooking temperature for poaching ranges between 160°F and 184°F - high enough to cook the food but low enough to prevent boiling. This ensures the food has a delicate, tender texture while still being cooked safely.

While poaching, simmering, and sous vide cooking all involve cooking in liquid, there are differences. For example, while sous vide cooking does involve placing food in a vacuum-sealed bag and cooking it in a water bath, the food never comes into contact with the water. Additionally, sous vide cooking generally happens at lower temperatures, between 130°F and 165°F, than poaching does.

Moreover, simmering is a slightly higher intensity cooking method where the liquid bubbles and the temperature reaches between 185°F to 205°F. Poaching, on the other hand, occurs at a lower temperature, thereby promises an even gentler cooking process.