From poaching them for a party to molding them into kid-friendly shapes, eggs are more versatile than you might expect.

Take your soups to the next level. For the smooth and creamy variety, beat a yolk and quickly whisk it into the soup off the heat, right before serving. It’ll add extra body and a silky sheen. For broth-y soups, whisk egg whites together with a little water, slowly stream them into your simmering soup while stirring and watch them resurface in delicate wisps.

Add a healthy glug of olive oil to a hot pan and heat it until it just begins to smoke. Add your egg, lower the flame to medium, step back and enjoy the show — the whites will bubble up and the edges will brown almost instantly. In less than a minute, you’ll have a perfectly cooked egg with a fluffy white, a runny yolk and a deep-brown bottom so sturdy you could eat it like toast. (It’s even better on toast.)

Fry your egg the way the Spanish do: Bring 1/4 cup of olive oil to medium heat in a small saute pan, add your egg, tilt the pan and spoon hot oil over it until the egg is done and evenly browned all over. Because the cook time will be only a minute or less, the yolk will still spill out luxuriously when cut in half. A sprinkle of coarse sea salt and freshly cracked blacked pepper right out of the pan will ensure your egg is especially delicious.

The microwave makes easy work of this Korean steamed egg dish. Just whisk eggs together in a medium heatproof bowl with a splash of water, a dash of fish sauce, and scallions and sesame seeds to taste, then microwave until the egg is fluffy and cooked through. It’ll be piping-hot but best enjoyed immediately; it’ll deflate after a few minutes.

Poach your eggs, in batches if needed, and scoop them into a saucepan filled halfway with ice water. When you’re done, cover the saucepan and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. Now you have a store of perfectly poached eggs that are ready when you are. Just place the saucepan over medium heat, simmer until the eggs have warmed through and serve to very impressed brunch guests.

For tender, boiled eggs, try steaming them instead. Place a steamer basket in a large pot filled with an inch of water and bring it to a boil. Add your eggs to the steamer basket, cover and cook for 6 minutes until soft-cooked or up to 12 minutes for hard-cooked. Plunge them into ice water and let them cool down for easy peeling.

Plastic egg molds are inexpensive, come in a variety of shapes and make for a fun, kid-friendly addition to weekday lunchboxes. For the best results, dunk your mold into cold water, place your warm, peeled, hard-boiled egg inside, clamp the mold shut and cover in cold water for at least 10 minutes before opening.

Put your waffle iron on double duty. Whisk eggs with a little cheese and salt, then pour into a well-greased waffle iron. Shut, flip and cook until the edges are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, depending on your waffle iron. Enjoy them doused in hot sauce or as a perfectly shaped filler in a waffle sandwich.

For the quickest, most-delicious mayo you've ever had, just combine 1 egg yolk, 1 cup of canola oil and a squeeze of lemon juice in a cup. Blend with an immersion blender until everything is emulsified into a fluffy mayo. Season with salt and get ready for every sandwich to taste a whole lot better.