Poached egg cups are often lubricated with butter in order to effect easy removal of the cooked egg, although non-stick egg poachers are also available. The result is very similar to the traditional coddled egg, although these steamed eggs are often cooked for longer, and hence are firmer. Eggs so prepared are often served on buttered toast. Poached eggs are used in the traditional American breakfast/brunch dish Eggs Benedict. Poached eggs are the basis for many dishes in Louisiana Creole cuisine, such as Eggs Sardou, Eggs Portuguese, Eggs Hussarde and Eggs St. Charles. Creole poached egg dishes are typically served for brunches.
Pasteurized eggs to maintain freshness and prevent environmental contamination and stamped with a blue "P" in a circle to distinguish them from unpasteurized eggs. Opinion on the quality of pasteurized shell eggs is mixed, and sometimes depends on whether comparisons involve experimental processes or products that are actually on the market. Taste tests noted deficiencies in pasteurized shell eggs experimentally produced via a microwaved pasteurization process (not for commercially available pasteurized shell eggs). Using commercially available pasteurized shell eggs, a "San Francisco Chronicle" reporter noted a "slight chemical taste" for pasteurized shell eggs, and a Lifescript blogger noted a "barely detectable" flavor