Poach

WE USE THE POACH TECHNIQUE FOR ITS gentleness and for its impact on the moistness of the finished dish. Fish or meat that might dry out or seize up in the high dry heat of a sauté pan or oven can remain tender and succulent when poached. Shrimp/prawns and lobster, which can become tough when cooked over high heat, emerge tender when cooked at poaching temperatures (see Butter-Poached Shrimp).

When we use the term poach, we almost always refer to cooking something that’s already tender. I think it’s a meaningful distinction. You can poach a brisket in stock for hours and hours until it becomes tender, but I like to reserve the terms braising and stewing for this kind of long, slow, moist cooking meant to tenderize. With one exception, I will only use the term poach here, in basic techniques, as a method to cook tender foods or foods without abundant connective tissue: fish, tender meat and sausage, root vegetables, legumes/pulses, and eggs.