We’re entering peak brunch season. Mimosas, frittatas and French toast will be gracing many a table, but there’s one dish that looms larger than the rest.

Eggs Benedict.

Often thought of as a restaurant dish, it’s more achievable at home than most people realize. If you own a food processor, you can make hollandaise sauce, and it’s even easier if you have an immersion circulator. But what people really seem to struggle with is nailing the poached egg. A good one has a smooth, tender white that’s barely firm on the outside, with a golden yolk that cascades onto the plate (or English muffin) when you slice into it.

Our number-one poached egg tip? Stop overthinking it. The simplest method is the best.

You need more water than you think

Poaching is just the act of gently cooking something in water, but the amount of water used can make or break this dish. After poaching dozens of eggs, the kitchen team determined that abundant water—3 quarts!— is needed to ensure the temperature doesn’t plummet when the eggs are dropped in. Using a lot of water requires a bigger pot, and that’s a good thing. It gives the eggs a bit more space, so they cook up nice and even.

Vinegar keeps things smooth

Egg whites contain a protein called ovalbumin. When heated, the protein denatures, changing from a clear liquid to an opaque solid. Acid (in this case vinegar) increases the rate at which the protein denatures, so the white sets faster. This gives the egg the much-coveted, smooth, oblong appearance—without the wispy little tendrils.

Ease the egg’s transition

Cracking an egg directly into a pot of boiling water can make a mess—especially if you’re overzealous with your cracking. Help ease your egg into this aggressively bubbling bath by first breaking it into a small bowl, ramekin or teacup. Add the egg to the water by holding the bowl just above the surface, tilting it and letting the egg slide in. If you accidentally exert too much pressure when cracking and rupture the yolk, you only have to throw away one egg, rather than the whole pot.

Keep it at a simmer

We may start by bringing the water to a boil, but we don’t hang out there long. The small drop in temperature that comes from adding the eggs brings the water to the perfect simmer, and that’s where you want it to remain. Let the eggs cook, uncovered and without stirring, until the whites are set. Remove with a slotted spoon and let the excess water drain away, then slide onto big bowls of pasta, salads, or—if you’re in the brunch-y mood—a Canadian bacon-topped English muffin.

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Claire Lower

Claire Lower is the Digital Editor for Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, with over a decade of experience as a food writer and recipe developer. Claire began writing about food (and drinks) during the blogging boom in the late 2000s, eventually leaving her job as a lab technician to pursue writing full-time. After freelancing for publications such as Serious Eats, Yahoo Food, xoJane and Cherry Bombe Magazine, she eventually landed at Lifehacker, where she served as the Senior Food Editor for nearly eight years. Claire lives in Portland, Oregon with a very friendly dog and very mean cat. When not in the kitchen (or at her laptop), you can find her deadlifting at the gym, fly fishing or trying to master figure drawing at her local art studio.