Poaching

Purpose

Cook food gently in a surrounding liquid while retaining a tender texture.

Controls

Keep the liquid below a rolling boil and allow residual heat to finish the food when the method calls for it.

Process

1. Bring the flavoured liquid close to a boil.
2. Add the food, return the liquid only briefly to the boil, then reduce to a bare simmer.
3. Hold for the stated time and rest in the liquid where specified.

Failure Modes

Symptom	Likely cause	Corrective action
Dry, stringy meat	The liquid boiled aggressively.	Reduce to a bare simmer and shorten the active cooking time.