One method for cooking a poached egg is better than any other, an expert who has tried every way of preparing the breakfast staple says. There are a wide variety of ways to prepare a poached egg, and it's a great way to get the nutritional benefits of eggs without adding extra fat calories - as other methods do.

But unlike a fried or scrambled egg, poaching requires a more delicate approach. Retaining the shape and Ensuring whisps of egg white don't break free is notoriously tricky, though there are various techniques that can help to keep the shape. Lisa Bryan, founder of popular food blog Downshiftology says she's had a crack at every way, and the best for cooking a single egg is to create a swirling vortex or whirlpool in the simmering water and cracking it in.

Doing so allows you to "create a more spherical shape as the egg white wraps around itself", Lisa wrote in a blog post.

Keeping the water simmering will help prevent the egg from sticking to the pan, and after three minutes or so - when the egg is cooked - they can be removed with a slotted spoon, says BBC Food.

Then simply place them on kitchen paper to drain, and combine with toast, avocado, or anything else that takes your fancy.

However, Lisa stressed that if you're cooking more than one, other methods will still produce just tasty - if less aesthetically pleasing - results.

Another method some people swear by is using a sieve. This involves bring the water to the boil, and then lowering in your sieve and cracking the egg into it (you can also crack it into a receptacle beforehand to pour into the sieve if that's easier).

After cooking for three minutes, you can then simply lift the sieve out of the water, drain the egg off and enjoy.

Foodie and internet personality Cherie Denham explained the benefits of the approach in a recent video on TikTok, explaining: "It works brilliantly. So normally I would have just simmered some water, dropped an egg in after making a whirlpool, waited three minutes and let the egg poach.

"But you know what, this way with a sieve is great because it means you can use older eggs as well. Normally, if you poach an older egg, all the white, the albumen, all goes through the water really, really messily and there's no substance to it.

"But if you put an older egg in a sieve, all of that watery white drops through and you're left with some substance to the egg.

"So, honestly, I think this is brilliant. Just trim off the bits, I put it on a piece of my sourdough this morning and it was absolutely delicious," she added.