Long have we put the poached egg on a pedestal. We saw it as fine art and those preparing it as skilled artists. The process of making a well poached egg seemed intricate and labor intensive. It was something to savor while dining out but not to replicate at home.

That was then. We have learned now the secret-est of secrets. You can poach an egg without poaching an egg. At some favorite brunch stops (I know, bunch), we noticed eggs in tubs of water. What was happening? Magic. That’s what. And the best kind: sous vide magic.

We’ve written before about sous vide cooking. It’s a method in which you vacuum seal food in a plastic bag and immerse it in a temperature-controlled water bath. You set the bath for the temperature that you want the food to reach. Slowly but surely, the food achieves the ideal temperature without risk of overcooking.

Sous vide is the perfect way to prepare steak. And scallops. And chicken. Turns out, it makes a damn fine poached egg too. Eggs have shell, so you needn’t vacuum seal them.

We use a Sous Vide Supreme. Set it to 146 degrees. Add an egg and cook for one hour. Remove the egg and run it under cold water. Fold a paper towel in half. Crack the egg and empty the contents onto the middle of the towel. Tilt the towel and gently roll the egg onto the dish. It works best to carve a pocket atop the food for the egg to land.

We have identified one problem. So simple is this technique and so good do poached eggs taste that we yearn to put them on everything. Obvious is breakfast food. We recently made eggs benedict with homemade Hollandaise sauce.

But you can put a poached egg on much more. A poached egg topping fresh polenta and grated parmesan cheese makes a delightful dinner. As does a poached egg on pasta tossed in olive oil. Want real bliss? Drop a poached egg in soup. Almost any soup.