Poach

(and pocher in French) a verb which indicates a method of cooking which is generally taken to be in a liquid which is simmering (see simmer), i.e. just below boiling point, in the area of 90–96 °C/195–205 °F. But not all authorities agree on this. Some would keep the temperature markedly below boiling point—low enough to ensure that the surface of the liquid betrays no signs of movement, not even ‘shivering’; others would permit some such motion (if only to ensure that the temperature does not fall too low, which it can easily do in the absence of any visible marker); others refer to ‘a gentle boil’.