Eggs are one of the most versatile kitchen ingredients, used in recipes ranging from breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert. While most are familiar with basic egg preparations like scrambled and fried, two lesser-known cooking methods are poaching and coddling, which have some key differences.

Poached eggs are cooked by cracking the egg into a pot of simmering water, which results in an egg with a round or domed shape with a delicately cooked white and runny yolk. When placed atop a dish and sliced into, a poached egg yolk runs and drapes down the food for a gloriously appetizing presentation.

Coddled eggs also have a soft-cooked egg white and runny yolk, but are prepared in a ramekin (a small jar or dish placed in a water bath), not directly in hot water. They’re often cooked in the oven, though they can be cooked on the stove, and are meant to be eaten out of the ramekin, rather than put onto a plate.

To prepare poached eggs, crack an egg into a small dish or ramekin and set it aside until your pot of water comes to a gentle simmer. Then, whisk the water until you get a swirly vortex going, gently slide the egg into the water, and cook for about three minutes before carefully removing with a slotted spoon or small strainer.

To make coddled eggs, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, place your ramekins into a baking dish, and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Butter the ramekins and crack your eggs directly inside, bake until the whites are set, then eat with a spoon or alongside buttered toast.