Right, so I found myself staring at a bunch of egg gadgets the other day. You know how it is, you see them online, or maybe someone gives you one thinking they’re helpful. I figured, heck, let’s actually try these things out properly instead of letting them collect dust in the drawer.
Getting Started – The Arsenal
I didn’t go out and buy a load of new stuff. Most of this junk was already lurking around.
- An egg separator thingy, the little cup with slots.
- Some silicone poaching cups. Bright colours, looked fun.
- A basic wire egg slicer. Had this for ages.
- A metal egg ring for frying.
Got my eggs ready, carton on the side, pan on the stove, pot of water boiling. Felt like some kind of weird egg scientist for a minute.
The Actual Trying Out Bit
First up, the egg separator. Cracked an egg into it. Okay, the white dripped through, mostly. But some gooey stuff stayed with the yolk. Had to kind of jiggle it. Honestly, using the shell halves back and forth is faster for me. Less washing up too. This felt a bit pointless.
Next, the silicone poaching cups. Greased them like the instructions probably said (didn’t actually read them, just guessed). Floated them in the simmering water. Cracked an egg into each. They bobbed around. Took a bit longer to cook than just poaching straight in the water, I reckon. Getting them out was okay, but the eggs had a weird flat bottom. Not exactly pretty. Cleaning wasn’t too bad, but again, more stuff to wash.
Then I tried the egg ring in the frying pan. Put it in, heated the pan, cracked the egg inside. The idea is a perfectly round fried egg. Well, some white immediately leaked out under the ring. So much for perfect. Maybe my pan isn’t flat? Or maybe the ring is rubbish. Probably the ring. Ended up with a mostly round egg with a weird leaky bit. More hassle than it was worth.
Finally, the old reliable egg slicer. Hard-boiled an egg, peeled it (always the worst part, right?). Placed the egg in the slicer cradle. Pushed the wire part down. Boom. Sliced egg. It just works. Simple. Does what it says on the tin. Cleaning is a bit fiddly with the wires, mind you.
So, What’s the Verdict?
After all that faffing about, here’s my honest take.
The egg separator? Going in the charity shop bag. Total waste of time for me.
The silicone poaching cups? Meh. They work, kind of. But I prefer my eggs poached the normal way. They might be okay if you’re really scared of poaching directly in water. Maybe keep them for now, might try again.
The egg ring? Definitely rubbish. Straight in the bin. Can’t be bothered with leaky eggs.
The egg slicer? Yeah, that’s a keeper. It’s simple, it works, does one job and does it well. Despite the slightly annoying cleaning, it’s useful for salads and sandwiches.
So mostly, these gadgets just add clutter and washing up. Sometimes the old ways are just easier, you know? Less fuss. Just give me a fork for whisking, shell halves for separating, and a decent pan. Job done.
