Everyone’s got an egg of choice. Some prefer the poached egg for its aesthetic appeal. Others swear by the scramble. Even if you’ve mastered a delicate meringue or a buttery hollandaise sauce, you can still savor the egg on its own. From a foolproof soft boil to a whimsical  “egg cloud,” here are five ways to cook our go-to breakfast protein.

-Renee Cherry

1. The Soft-Boiled Egg

The hard-boiled egg’s hot older sibling

Fill saucepan with a few inches of salted water and bring to a rapid boil. Add in eggs with their shells still on, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove eggs and immediately transfer to cold water.

Difficulty Level: 2/5

2. The Poached Egg

Oh you fancy, huh?

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Fill saucepan with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer. Crack eggs into small individual bowls. Create a small whirlpool in water using a spoon or spatula (this will keep egg whites intact). Gently lower eggs into simmering water. Cook for 4 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon.

Difficulty Level: 4/5

3. The Sunny-Side-Up

Two pieces of the smiley face breakfast equation

Add one tablespoon of butter to skillet over medium heat. Crack eggs into skillet. Spoon butter from the bottom of skillet onto the egg whites until whites are set, about 4 minutes.

Difficulty Level: 3/5

4. The Over Easy

Spatula skills FTW

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Add butter to skillet over medium heat. Crack eggs into small bowl, then transfer to skillet. Cook until egg whites are opaque and mostly set, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 10 seconds.

Difficulty Level: 1/5

 5. The Egg en Cocotte

French for “Get in my belly.”

Preheat oven to 375°. Butter the bottom of desired number of ramekins and add one egg to each. Place ramekins into a baking dish and add hot water until it fills halfway up the height ofthe ramekins. Bake until the eggs are golden on top, about 15-20 minutes.

Difficulty Level: 1/5

6. The Basted Egg

Things are getting steamy.

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Start by heating butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add desired number of eggs and one teaspoon of water. Cover and cook until desired doneness, about a minute or more.

Difficulty Level: 3/5

7. The Egg Cloud

Edible clouds. You’re welcome.

Preheat oven to 450°. Crack eggs, and separate yolks and whites into 2 bowls. Beat egg whites with a mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer egg whites onto parchment-lined baking sheet, forming as many mounds as the number of eggs you started with. Use spoon to make a small well in the center of each mound. Bake for 3 minutes. Transfer 1 yolk to the center of each mound and bake until yolks are set, about 2 minutes.

Difficulty Level: 5/5

A shortened version of this article appeared in our fall issue. Grab a copy on campus or read it here!