Not to mention, a perfect poached egg is crucial to creating that queen among brunch dishes, eggs Benedict, and it can also enhance anything from avocado toast to a salad.

更不用說完美的水波蛋對於可以把早午餐的等級提升可說是關鍵，像是班尼迪克蛋，可以把各種風味從酪梨吐司提升至沙拉。

The problem with poached eggs is that while the cooking process itself is not overly complex, it's still surprisingly easy to screw up.

問題是煮水波蛋的步驟並不複雜，但卻意外地容易搞砸。

So, while you may have to crack a few eggs to perfect your poaching technique in your quest to right all the egg-cooking wrongs you've been making, eggs are only pennies each, so it's worth spending a little time practicing.

你可能要準備打破幾顆雞蛋以提升你煮蛋的技巧，糾正之前錯誤的步驟，不過雞蛋才幾毛錢一顆，可以多花一點時間練習。

Before you get started, though, you'll want to make sure to avoid the biggest egg-poaching mistake you can make: not using enough water.

在開始之前，你要先避開煮水波蛋最致命的錯誤：水量不足。

To poach correctly, an egg needs a lot of room to float, and it can't be crowded.

正確的方式是雞蛋需要空間漂浮，不能太擁擠。

You'll first need to make sure you select the right size pan, which means you'll at least need to use a deep, wide skillet that's at least three inches tall.

第一，你要先確保選用大小合適的鍋子，至少需要使用約三英寸深而寬的煎鍋。

The height requirement is actually a must-have, since poached eggs require three inches of water to cook.

對鍋子的高度要求是一定要有的，因為水波蛋需要三英吋高的水來煮。

But it's a balancing act—you don't want too much more water, because that might make the egg difficult to remove.

不過也是要講求平衡，水也不能太多，因為會難以把雞蛋從水裡撈出。

But use less than three inches and it's just not going to set up right since there won't be room to perform the signature swirl.

不過使用少於三英寸水量的話就感覺不太對了，因為沒有空間做一個關鍵打轉的動作。

Wait, what?

等一下，有聽錯嗎？

Swirling the water?

要攪拌水？

Uh oh, don't say you've been forgetting to do that step, too.

不要告訴我你們忘記了這個步驟。

Before you add your egg to the poaching pan, you'll need to use a fork, spoon, or whisk to swirl the simmering water gently until it creates a vortex.

在你把雞蛋加到鍋子前，你可以使用叉子、湯匙或攪拌棒輕輕地在正要煮沸的水中打轉直至形成漩渦。

The water's circular motion will help to keep both yolk and white together as the egg starts to cook.

水的動向可以讓蛋黃和蛋白不會分離。

If you skip the swirl, the raw egg will just drop to the bottom of the pan and start dispersing.

如果沒有打轉的話，生雞蛋倒下去後會直接往鍋底沉下去並會散開。

It's a beautiful moment and you've ruined it.

這是一個多麼美好的一刻，但你被你毀掉了。

You ruined it.

你毀掉了！

As for water temperature, you don't want the water boiling hot, since the eggs just won't poach right if they're fully cooked within seconds of being dropped in the pot.

至於水的溫度不用煮至沸騰，因為如果一丟入水中就煮熟了的話，那就不是水波蛋了。

On the other hand, the cooking water shouldn't be too cold, either.

不過水的溫度也不能太低。

What you're looking for is a nice simmer, which is that gentle bubbling that comes before a rolling boil.

水溫必須要在適當，大概是開始煮沸前冒泡泡的程度。

For those who like exact numbers, that's about 195 degrees Fahrenheit.

如果你是追求準確數字的人的話，大概是華氏 195 度 (攝氏 90) 左右。

The water is going to lose some heat once the cold egg hits it, so it needs to be hot enough to compensate for that, although you can and should help to offset this heat drop by using eggs that have been out of the refrigerator long enough to reach room temperature.

水溫會在加入蛋後稍微降溫，所以水溫必須要夠熱以達到平衡。不過你也是可以先把雞蛋從冰箱裡拿出來降溫至室溫以減低水溫下降的速度。

As a general rule, whenever you're baking with eggs, it's best not to break them directly into the mix, since if you get a bad one, doing so is going to spoil your entire recipe.

一般來說在煮雞蛋的時候，打破雞蛋後不要直接加到混合物裡，因為不小心拿到一顆壞的就會把你的整道菜搞砸。

Instead, it's advisable to break each egg first into a cup or small bowl.

所以建議大家先把雞蛋打在一個小杯子或小碗裡。

When you're poaching eggs, this method is still something you should be employing, since if you break an egg directly into the cooking water, the egg will separate with the yolk dropping to the bottom in much the same way that it will if you fail to swirl the cooking water.

當你要煮水波蛋也需要採用這個方法，如果你直接把蛋打到鍋子裡的話，蛋黃會馬上沉到鍋底，就和沒有把鍋子裡的水打圈的結果一樣。

An added benefit of breaking the eggs before you add them to the pot is that this can help you poach a bunch of eggs more quickly, assembly-line style.

這個做法還有另外一個好處是的速度可以更快，就像是一條龍的生產線一樣。

Hey, you never know when some friends are going to drop by for a spur-of-the-moment party!

因為你永遠無法預知你的朋友什麼時候臨時起意會來家裡辦趴！

What are you doing here?

你們來這裡做什麼？

We came here to eat dinner and to party.

我們來吃晚餐和開趴。

This is a dinner party, right?

今天這是個晚餐聚會，是吧？

In order to get your poached egg whites to set up nice and firm around that tender yolk, it helps to add some vinegar to your cooking water.

想要水波蛋的蛋白能牢固地包覆著軟嫩的蛋黃，可以加一些醋到水裡。

Just plain old distilled white vinegar works just fine.

一般家裡的蒸餾白醋就可以了。

No need to use a pricy flavored or specialty vinegar, since the taste is just going to be diluted by the water in the pan.

不需要用調味或特製的醋，因為味道會被鍋子裡的水稀釋掉。

Now you know, just a few simple tips and tricks, and you'll be poaching eggs like a pro in no time!

現在知道了吧，就這些簡單的小撇步就可以馬上讓你成為專業煮水波蛋的大廚！

Check out one of our newest videos right here!

點擊這裡收看我們最新影片！

Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite dishes are coming soon.

還有更多你們喜歡的佳餚將會陸續登場。

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.

記得訂閱頻道並打開小鈴鐺，才不會錯過我們任何一部影片。