How do I make a perfect pouched egg?

Per James Beard:

1 or 2 eggs per person

Water to cover

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice

Use a shallow saucepan or skillet. Put in enough water to cover the eggs, add the salt and lemon juice (or vinegar) and bring just to a boil.

Meanwhile, break each egg into a saucer or soup bowl, then slip, one at a time, into the boiling water. The vinegar or lemon juice will help the whites coagulate, but the real secret of keeping the egg compact lies in the amount of "boil" in the water.

Never put the eggs into rapidly boiling water. The rolling liquid will whip the white away before it can set.

The best way to do this is to bring the water just barely to a boil and then slip the eggs in. Turn the flame down and let them simmer gently.

If the water doesn't quite cover the top of the egg, spoon some of the hot liquid over it as it cooks. An egg will poach to firm white and soft yolk in about 2 and 1/2 minutes, but you can readily tell by looking. When the white is all white and firm, the egg is done.

Remove the eggs with a slotted or perforated spoon, draining them thoroughly before serving on toast slices.

Eggs may also be poached in milk, tomato juice or broth. If you use these liquids, omit the vinegar or lemon juice. Serve eggs cooked in these liquids in soup bowls with the broth poured over them.

From the 'James Beard Cookbook,' 1970 revised edition.

I found this on the internet and thought it might give you a couple of ideas for poaching eggs.  Hope it helps.

Fresh eggs will be easier to poach (they'll hold together better) than older eggs. Vinegar is optional, it will help the eggs hold together, but if you don't like the taste, omit.

Ingredients

• Fresh eggs
• 1 to 2 teaspoons vinegar (rice vinegar works well) (optional)

Equipment needed

• Shallow saucepan with cover
• Slotted spoon

1 First bring water in a saucepan to almost boiling. If the water is already boiling, lower the heat until it is no longer boiling. At this point, you can add one or two teaspoons of vinegar to the water, if you want. The vinegar will help the egg whites to congeal more easily. We use seasoned rice vinegar.

2 Working with the eggs one by one, crack an egg into a small cup, then place the cup near the surface of the hot water and gently drop the egg into the water. With a spoon, nudge the eggwhites closer to their yolks. This will help the egg whites hold together.

3 Turn off the heat. Cover. Let sit for 4 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked.

4 Lift eggs out of pan with a slotted spoon.

One trick to make the eggs stay somewhat contained is to take a ring from a mason jar and place it in the pan. Drop the egg over the mason jar ring and let it settle in the ring, then turn off the heat and cover.

You can find more about this here.  http://www.ehow.com/how_2636_poach-eggs.html