Eggs and Soldiers

Every now and then I wake up on a weekend morning, and I just NEED a poached egg. I need one. Not want. Need. Which for a while was a problem, because the only person I know who can actually make a poached egg with only water and a pan and an egg is my mother, who whips them up effortlessly. For me, the road to the decent poached egg has been a sad and rocky one. Yes, I've tried all the usual tricks, including putting vinegar in the water, and cracking the egg into a teacup and slipping it into the water, and buying an electric egg cooker (which was great for hard boiled eggs and kinda dismal for poached eggs).

All of that left me with disorganized masses of under or overcooked eggs that looked nothing like the neat little round organized eggs that my mama makes me. But that was before I found THESE.


They are called Poach Pods, and they have transformed my life, at least the poached egg part of it. They are little silicone guys, and here's what you do. You bring a pan of water to a slow simmer. Spray one of the pods with Pam, and crack an egg into it. Lay it in the water (it will float!). Cover the pan, and simmer that egg for 4 minutes. Uncover the pan, gently lift out the pod, run a knife or a small spatula around the edge of the egg and it will slide right out. Perfect poached eggs Every Single Time.

Back to the eggs and soldiers: this is one of my all-time favorite comfort food dishes, and here's all it is: a poached egg and a slice of toast that has been buttered and cut into little strips, otherwise known as soldiers. Take a soldier, dunk it into the poached egg, feel like all is right with the world.

That's it, folks -- not even a recipe needed. And because there is no recipe, here's a list of other great things to do with a poached egg:

1. Put it on top of a bowl of buttered Cream of Wheat or grits.

2. Include on the top of a lightly dressed salad of romaine lettuce, croutons and bacon.

3. Slice it into a plate of pasta with some butter, grated parmesan and fresh ground pepper.

4. The old classic: put on top of a plate of hot corned beef hash.

I have to leave and poach an egg now.