The egg is a perfect food, we all agree on that, right? And we all think that poaching is the perfect way to cook an egg, right?

No? Why? Because it’s too difficult? The white falls apart? The yolk breaks? It’s watery?

Mais Non, non, and non ! Thee ees not trooo!

None of this will happen if you know what you’re doing, and the video takes you through the VERY EASY poaching process. I use a French technique, naturally, because the French love eggs beyond all measure, to the tune of more than 220 per person, per year. That is a lot of eggs, and the French make it a point to cook them perfectly.

Of course, perfectly to the French is soft. Even a hard-cooked egg in France can come to the table slightly soft in the center, at which point it is called an oeuf mollet. This I will admit is not my favorite. But the poached egg is.

Why? Because once you poach an egg into a neat little packet you can set it on toast slathered with salted butter; you can perch a couple atop a salad; you can drop an egg into your soup to poach and and your friends and family will be very impressed.

There is much more you can do, too: mashed potatoes with poached egg on top; melted spinach with poached egg nestled in; crisp-sauteed mushrooms topped with a poached egg…

And if you like, you can poach your eggs ahead of time and keep them in a bowl of warm water, so they don’t get stone cold. To serve, simply scoop them up – gently! – with a slotted spoon, pat them dry and serve. Bon App!