What you need:

eggs, the fresher the better
1 quart of simmering water
1 T. vinegar
1 bowl of cool water
1 bowl of warm water

1. Once the water has begun to simmer, take the pan off the heat and dip the eggs, uncracked, into the water for about 40-50 seconds. Remove them from the water. Replace the pan on the heat and return to a simmer. Add the vinegar.

2. Crack an egg into a small bowl and slide it into the simmering water.

3. With a spoon, push the egg white over the yolk around all sides. It doesn’t have to be perfect–imperfection just adds to it’s homemade goodness. Add up to 3 more eggs to the one pan, one at a time, repeating the process for each one.

4. Keep the water at a simmer and poach the eggs for 3 minutes for medium-sized eggs, 3 1/2 minutes for large eggs.

5. Remove them in the order in which they went in (if you can remember!) and dip them in the cool water briefly to stop the cooking and rinse off the vinegar, then into the warm water to keep them warm while you get everything ready to serve. Trim off the fluffy bits to neaten them up.

5. Drain on a towel and serve on warm plates with crisp, buttered toast and a dash of salt and pepper.