Sometimes, some of the most basic of cooking skills like boiling an egg or making an omelet can be the hardest to master.
In fact, it seems that eggs in general are a hard subject to crack!
The hardest cooking method to get perfected, for me, is the poached egg.
Now, I admit that I am a strong believer in doing things the right way, rather than the lazy way so my microwave isn’t my go-to-God when it comes to all things cooking.
I use it for things like melting butter, heating foods up from time to time, yes my microwave is a little neglected!
When I saw this microwavable egg poacher though, I decided that the temptation of a perfectly poached egg, was stronger than my purist need to cook everything with care by hand.
I was also very interested in this idea because unlike other egg poachers I have seen, this one is small and easy to store away.
The frying pan type, with the plastic inserts for the eggs, is a good idea if you are going to be feeding a few but I honestly doubt too many people need so many poached eggs on a regular basis that they need another bulky piece of equipment in the kitchen.
This egg poacher is the single persons friend, two eggs being a perfect amount for a breakfast!
Another essential for most people, single or other wise is the easy clean up!
Here, there’s no need to wash out cups galore and the fact that it’s non stick means it only needs a rinse under the tap to be ready to be used again.
Also, if a rinse under the tap is too bothersome, it is dishwasher safe on the top shelf!
So, on to the eggs!
The package has very clear, well written directions which first state that we need to fill each compartment with a third of water.
Unfortunately, the poacher doesn’t have any indicator of where exactly a third is, which would be extremely helpful!
By eye, 2 tablespoons of water looked about perfect for a third full on each compartment but being able to fill it straight from the tap up to a line would have been easier.
Now, the lid goes on, which doesn’t really clip on in any way, just lays on top really, is microwaved on full power for 60 seconds.
I got out an oven glove to take the water from the microwave but surprisingly I didn’t need it.
The plastic middle of the poacher is large enough to be comfortable to lift it by and cool enough to stay unscathed.
When the lid was opened of course there was some hot steam to be wary of, but really, I would say this could be something a child could do with a little help.
Next, the eggs get cracked into the water, one in each compartment and are covered again.
My eggs were a size medium and fit with room to spare, a large egg won’t have any problems here!
The instructions state to microwave on full power for 45 seconds and allow to stand for a further 30 seconds after cooking.
The cooking instructions based their timing on a 750 watt microwave, my microwave being quite a bit higher the eggs did get over cooked slightly using their instructions exactly, though that is just down to some fine tuning on time depending on wattage.
The only thing I can really say is bad about this poacher is retrieving the eggs.
When cooked the eggs are still sat in water and of course, you will have to fish them out.
It’s rather hard to get the delicate egg wedged under a slotted spoon big enough and if you do , be careful because trying to catch a wet bar of soap feels like sand through your fingers compared to these slippery eggs!
Take my advice and do not use anything non stick to remove them or they might meet an untimely end on the floor instead of the plate, metal would be best.
It would be really good if there were draining holes on the bottom of each compartment that could be sealed when cooking and opened to drain off extra liquid and make for an easier egg retrieval but for £1.49 the functionality is fantastic and I will be eating a lot more poached eggs in the future!
Delicious!