Of these three methods I have always preferred poached eggs. But the traditional way of cooking them --  by placing them directly in a pot of boiling or simmering water -- doesn’t cut it for me. Too messy with too much of the egg white lost to the pot.

Instead, for my usual daily breakfast of two poached eggs (and four ounces of smoked salmon plus a little kimchi) I have used several types of egg cups that float in the hot water. The type that I like best is a set of two stainless steel poach pods that I bought at my local cookware store. However, Amazon sells the same set.

I cook the eggs in simmering -- not boiling -- water in a covered pot for about five minutes, although we all have different preferences on how firm we like our eggs. When I initially lubricate the poach pods with a little oil and press down on the sides of the cooked eggs, they come out easily.

The last step before enjoying my breakfast is seasoning the eggs. Many herbs and spices bring out the flavor of eggs, but my current favorites are salt (necessary on a very low-carb diet), curry powder, and Tapatio hot sauce.

Finally, I want to thank a reader who I happened to meet last month at Florida’s Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. She asked me to write about new foods that I have discovered. Since I have already written about my latest discovery, natto, this post is about an old food that I have discovered some new facts about. This one’s for you, Maureen.