This methods has been floating around a bit from Chow to PBS and it apparently originated with Arzak in Spain. I love a good poached egg but tend to loose mine in a cloud of white wisps and broken yokes. This cling wrap method not only keeps it all together but allows one to brush in oils and spices that get infused into the poached white of the egg.

Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. While that is warming up, rip off one sheet of cling film/plastic wrap (Cling Wrap, Saran Wrap, whatever). Brush on a splash of oil. I used black truffle oil from Trader Joes, which is actually an infused olive oil. Place the oil lined film into a ramekin or cup and crack an egg into the film.

Season the egg with salt and spices. I tried two different mixes on two different eggs: 1. Zatar and sea salt and 2. A smoked paprika blend with kosher salt.

Twist up the plastic wrap into a tight package with the egg dangling below. Tie the package with twine and leave a long strand to fish out the eggs after they cook.

Drop the egg sachets into the simmering water and cook for 4 minutes. Prepare and ice bath and once the eggs are done transfer the sealed package to the cold water to set the egg.

Now comes the fun part: use kitchen shears to cut off the top of the package just below the knot of twine and let your egg unfold from it’s plastic shell. Use a spoon to plate each egg and if desired, slightly break into the white of the egg to expose the yellow center.

The two eggs came out nicely and I plated them with some maple sausage links for a delicious breakfast.

n.b. I would expect this method could even allow an egg white to poach but I’m such a fan of the whole egg that I’ll leave that for someone else to try.