Poached eggs are a joy. A perfect eggs Benedict or a frise salad demand a well poached egg, and since poached eggs demand no oil or butter, they are about as healthy as an egg can be.

But while eating a poached egg is one of life's simple pleasures, cooking poached eggs can be a lesson in frustration…especially in a restaurant kitchen with people waiting and orders piling up and egg after egg after egg falling apart in the simmering water. AAAARGH!

It used to drive me crazy, and then I stumbled upon a little known chef's trick to perfect poached eggs every time. An easy trick that takes no skill, requires no special equipment and works every time. How great is that!

Although fresher eggs will taste much better, this method will allow you to poach even slightly older eggs nicely…and as anyone who has tried to poach an egg that has been sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks knows, this is no small thing!

The Easy Saran Wrap Poached Egg

1. Bring a pot of water to a gentle simmer. You don't want a boiling pot of water, you want water just before the boil.
2. Take out a small bowl or ramekin, and lay out a piece of plastic wrap about a foot square over the bowl and spray the plastic wrap lightly with some cooking spray (or just rub on a little melted butter or oil, if you don't have any cooking spray).
3. Push the wrap down into the bowl and crack an egg into the plastic wrap/bowl.
4. Gently gather up the plastic wrap above the egg and tie it closed with a string or a twist tie.
5. Drop your little egg package into the water for between 3 and 4 minutes (depending on how cooked you like your poached eggs) and then remove with a slotted spoon.
6. Cut the tie on the plastic wrap and open up to find a perfectly compact and beautiful poached egg…every time.

This is so easy and it takes all of the stress out of poached eggs!

If you want to do it the old fashioned way…Poaching egg trick number 2!

An old Julia Child trick for poaching eggs is:

1. Poke a pinhole in the top of a raw egg and lower it from within a slotted spoon into simmering water.
2. Let the egg cook for 15 to 20 seconds, and then remove from the water.
3. Crack the egg gently and slide the just barely cooked egg into the simmering water to continue poaching for another 3 or 4 minutes.