Modern poaching.

Having heeded the advice of several recent comments, I searched out my two silicone egg poachers.

I can't remember who gave them to me, but I suspect it was Kimbo. 

As you can see, they are yellow, single egg, silicone, poachers; with ears. I gave them a good wash, put a small lump of butter in each one, and placed them in a pan of boiling water. When the butter had melted, I added the eggs.

They worked extremely well. After about five minutes, the final product was exactly as you want a poached egg to be. A firm white, with a just cooked yolk; and buttery. Freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of salt finished the job.

They are, of course, neatly shaped, and would look very nice on any dish that required an egg on top. They do also taste a little different to a fried egg, on account of the lack of oil. I'm not sure if that's better or not; more a question of taste.

From now on, I shall keep my poachers close at hand. A better answer to an under/over cooked boiled egg, and a more healthy answer to a fried one. Not much to complain about there!

I have a dedicated, stainless steel, four egg, poaching pan in France. It sits on top of a cupboard awaiting my attention, but frankly I can't remember when it was last used. I seem to remember that the individual cups have very sharp edges; which remain to be corrected. Between now and next Summer, I shall consider its future.

N.B. This morning it is COLD. I see on my forecast that it is 0 C, but feels like -13 C. For the first time this Winter I have put the central heating on, and I've given the Foxes an extra amount of Food.