Besides the shell, what is the difference between a hard boiled egg and a hard poached egg?

I cannot understand why anyone would poach an egg until it is hard. In fact, I never heard of doing that until you asked.

I have never had a hard poached egg. That is the difference.

What would the point of poaching an egg until it is hard be?

@teh_kvlt_liberal But they both produce the same thing. Solid white, and solid yellow. Sooo.. why the extra work?

I lack the ability to properly poach an egg.
Plus I love that egg stand they give you at the restaurant.

Because, (i forgot to mention) that a poached egg is when the white is cooked and the yolk is still runny, and a hard boiled egg is boiled in its shell for 7 to 8 minutes until it is cooked solid all the way through.

@teh_kvlt_liberal A hard poached egg (not just poached) is a solid white and a solid yellow, which is the same as a hard boiled egg. So, why poach?

What the heck is hard poached? I have never heard of that :S

@teh_kvlt_liberal Hard poached egg

Isn’t that just boiled?

@teh_kvlt_liberal… vs. hard boiled egg

And that is my question – what is the difference?

More work to hard poach an egg.

And I imagine it would be harder to make a deviled poached egg.

Allie, I think you answered your own question. It’s extra work for the same thing. Or almost the same thing. Therefore you probably won’t be using that recipe. Just put some mayo on it.

I think there are two differences: the first is, as you already mentioned, the fact that a poached egg (hard or soft) is cooked sans shell. Boiled eggs (hard or soft) are cooked in their shells. Second: poaching is a low heat process. The goal is not to boil the product. Poaching is a technique used to keep things moist (chicken, for example).
The idea when poaching an egg is to leave the yolk runny, so as the rest have said here, I don’t quite know why anyone would “hard” poach an egg. Obviously, it is possible, but it seems like more of a mistake made by an inexperienced cook than an actual technique.

Edit: There are also coddled eggs, which are firmer than a traditional poached egg, but softer than a hard boiled egg. Wow. Lots ‘o’ egg cookin’ methods. ;-)

there’s no difference, other than @Allie having very odd food preferences. ;)

I don’t believe there is any difference. I like the yolk just barely hard, not totally solid like a boiled egg is. The main reason I would poach instead of boil, it’s easier to poach just one egg, and when I boil, I do at least a half dozen.

@The_Compassionate_Heretic if you add a small amount vinegar in the water it comes out nicely… restaurant style!

And if desperate, you can trim the raggedy ends of the whites with a scissors (courtesy of Julia Childs.)

@Allie, are you spying on my cooking activities this weekend? I made garlic soup, and the recipe calls for serving it with a poached egg in it. I’m having a hard time getting the poached egg just right.

Speaking as one who has eaten five hard-boiled poached eggs in the last three days, there is not much difference, except that it’s more common to eat hard-boiled eggs cold. Poached eggs are eaten hot. I think the texture overall is a little softer for the hard-boiled poached egg, as the yolk is more of oval rather than a sphere.

The flavour is different.

The most significant difference I can think of between a hard boiled egg and a hard poached egg besides the latter being anathema is shape. If you want to make an egg sandwich without chopping the egg up into little pieces, as in Eggs Benedict or even a home-made variation of the Egg McMuffin, then poached is the way to go. A hard boiled egg won’t stay put unless you slice it.

I love egg sandwiches that consist of a poached egg not hard poached, thank you! with cheese on buttered toast, with a lovely dollop of Tabasco Sauce on it. I also like egg salad sandwiches, but those involved hard boiled eggs chopped up and blended with various other ingredients.

Whatever way you choose, save the egg shells for your garden. I can control the runniness of a soft-boiled egg better than a poached one (and pan is easier to clean, also).