Straight to the Level
The Nostalgia Egg Cooker produced flawless hard-boiled, soft-boiled, and poached eggs in much less time than related fashions. The Sprint egg cooker can prepare dinner as much as an ideal dozen eggs directly, making it an excellent match for meal preppers, massive households, and lovers of deviled eggs.
At one level in my profession as a line prepare dinner, hard-boiled eggs grew to become considerably of an obsession. We had simply put a dish on the menu that featured a pickled hard-boiled egg and, as a part of my each day prep, I needed to prepare dinner excellent eggs with uniformly easy whites and no grey rings. I attempted baking and boiling. I attempted timing modifications, temperature modifications, egg growing old, including baking soda–every little thing I might consider. Some days, I’d suppose I used to be getting shut, only for the following day’s trials to end in a 15% success charge. An indication was hung over my head like a dunce cap, tallying the quantity of eggs I had wasted thus far—my chef’s considerably merciless technique of motivation.
All that led to the current day, the place I prepare dinner hard-boiled eggs perhaps yearly when a longing for an egg salad sandwich strikes. It hardly appears price it to me. That’s in all probability what stored me from including an egg cooker to my kitchen. If I don’t eat hard-boiled eggs a lot, why would I would like a greater solution to prepare dinner them? Nonetheless, I began this evaluation with pleasure and a tinge of apprehension. May these cookers make a believer out of me? I obtained cracking to search out out if egg cookers might ship egg-cellent outcomes or simply depart me shell-shocked (sorry).Â
The Winners, at a Look
Easy, compact, and reasonably priced, the Nostalgia Egg Cooker is designed to churn out excellent hard-boiled eggs in a fraction of the time it will tackle the range. It egg-cels (hehe) at cooking poached and soft-boiled eggs as properly—most versatility in a single handy machine.
Cook dinner a full dozen directly within the Sprint egg cooker that has a transparent lid for viewing these steamy eggs. It’s straightforward to make use of and comes with trays for cooking as much as seven poached eggs or an omelette.
The Nordic Ware Egg Cooker makes use of your microwave as an alternative of a built-in heating aspect to steam eggs to the right temperature. It’s a easy system that gained’t burn out with time.
The Checks
Critical Eats
- Onerous-Boiled Egg Check: I began testing through the use of the machines for his or her main operate: hard-boiling eggs. I positioned 4 eggs straight from the fridge into the cooker and adopted the handbook’s directions for attaining excellent hard-boiled eggs. After the cooking cycle, I chilled the eggs, peeled them, and minimize them in half to examine the inside. I regarded for even cooking of the whites and yolks with out under- or overcooking points just like the dreaded green-gray ring.
- Poached Egg Check: A lot of the fashions I examined claimed to have the ability to make poached eggs in addition to hard-boiled, so I selected that for my subsequent take a look at. I doused the included pans in nonstick cooking spray and cracked a couple of eggs in, then added the requisite quantity of water. As soon as completed, I slid the poached eggs out of the tray and onto a dinner plate to find out if any of the whites had been unset or yolks overcooked.
- Smooth-Boiled Egg Check (Winners Solely): For the cookers that handed the earlier two assessments, I additionally examined every machine’s means to supply soft-boiled eggs. The cookers use the identical technique as cooking hard-boiled eggs, however should nail the right time for a mushy however not runny yolk. Once more, I set the machines in keeping with their included instructions, then chilled the eggs to cease cooking earlier than peeling and slicing them in half to view the yolk.
- Cleansing and Ease of Use: All through testing, I famous how straightforward or troublesome the cookers had been to arrange and function. I awarded factors for dishwasher-safe elements and lids that could possibly be lifted with out steam burns.
What We Discovered
How Do Egg Cookers Work?
Critical Eats
The entire egg cookers I examined function equally (save for the Nordic Ware, which makes use of the microwave as a warmth supply as an alternative of a built-in system). Very like a rice cooker, a specific amount of water is added to the equipment, and a steel scorching plate on the underside boils the water. The steam rises and cooks the eggs. The quantity of water added to the cooker determines how well-done the eggs develop into: much less for soft-boiled; extra for hard-boiled. As soon as the water evaporates, the machine detects a temperature rise and shuts off mechanically, generally with an accompanying audible alert. It’s a easy however good system that takes the guesswork out of boiling eggs and saves you from babysitting a saucepan on the range.Â
Egg Cookers Are Time Savers
Critical Eats
The entire egg cookers had been in a position to hard-boil eggs in 10 to twenty minutes, with the Nordic Ware performing as an outlier at 9 minutes 30 seconds, because of its microwave heating technique. This velocity isn’t nearly wattage– microwave vitality heats meals by thrilling water molecules instantly, making it sooner than an electrical heating plate. Evaluate that to the 13 minutes that J. Kenji LĂłpez-Alt outlines in his deep dive on hard-boiled eggs plus the time it takes a saucepan to carry three to 4 cups of water to a rolling boil, and also you’re simply taking a look at 20 minutes or extra on the stovetop. With an egg cooker, you possibly can set it and stroll away—no want to hang around within the kitchen. The egg cookers solely must carry lower than an inch of water to a simmer to begin cooking, and you’ll add the eggs originally with out risking cracking, in distinction to the risky nature of the stovetop technique. With each strategies, you’ll nonetheless should cease the cooking course of with a dunk in ice water, however egg cookers streamline the method and are rather more hands-off than cooking in a saucepan.
Learn the Handbook
Critical Eats
Once I’m not testing an equipment, I don’t normally learn the handbook earlier than utilizing it. Most frequently, I can intuit the best way to function the machine with out step-by-step directions. These cookers are a bit totally different. The success of every egg cooker relies upon not simply on the design of the machine itself, but in addition on how properly the included directions information water measurement. Some fashions include clearly marked measuring cups that make it straightforward to get constant outcomes, whereas others led to under- or overcooked eggs, even once I adopted the instructions to the letter. I appreciated manuals that included the water measurements along with the cup, just like the Sprint, Hamilton Seaside, and Bella. For the others, if you happen to lose the included measuring cup, you’re by yourself for calculating how a lot water is required to prepare dinner eggs to your required doneness.Â
Skip the Piercer
Critical Eats
Most of the egg cookers included a pointy steel piercing software hooked up to the measuring cup to puncture the egg’s shell in order that steam can escape. The concept is that piercing helps stop eggs from cracking throughout cooking and might make them simpler to peel. However after testing, I’m satisfied this characteristic causes extra issues than it solves. Not solely does the Egg Board of America explicitly advocate in opposition to piercing (to keep away from introducing micro organism), however in a number of cookers, just like the Elite Gourmand Speedy Egg Cooker, the piercer led to egg whites leaking out and burning on the hotplate, creating a multitude. Even on profitable fashions that included a piercer, just like the Sprint Speedy Egg Cooker, I discovered that peeling went simply fantastic with out utilizing this software. Backside line: A built-in piercer isn’t an improve or an important characteristic. In case your cooker features a piercer, you don’t have to make use of it, and don’t fear in case your mannequin skips it—it’s not a deal-breaker.
Small Particulars Make a Huge Affect
Critical Eats
Whereas my testing centered on the principle operation of every cooker, small design particulars made a surprisingly massive distinction in ease-of-use. Cookers with longer energy cords had been simpler to place on crowded counter tops and away from wooden cupboards that is perhaps broken by the launched steam. Clear lids, just like the one on the Sprint Egg Cooker, made it simpler to watch cooking with out lifting the lid and disrupting cooking. Plus, I really discovered myself having fun with watching all of the little eggs take their flip within the sauna.Â
Even one thing so simple as non-slip ft or a well-placed deal with on the lid made the method really feel smoother and safer. It’s these little conveniences that helped separate the enough fashions from the winners.
The Standards: What to Search for in an Egg Cooker
Critical Eats
A great egg cooker ought to do one factor properly: prepare dinner eggs to your required doneness with out a lot fuss. Search for an egg cooker with easy controls, a clearly marked measuring cup, and an audible alert to let you recognize when the cycle is completed. Capability is essential, and in case your family consumes plenty of eggs, you then’ll desire a cooker that may accommodate not less than 10, if not a full dozen.
Design-wise, I appreciated sure small particulars, like longer energy cords, clear lids you possibly can peek via, and lids that elevate off simply with out scalding you with steam or requiring two arms. Equipment like poaching or omelette trays are good to have and add to the cooker’s versatility.Â
Our Favourite Egg Cookers
What we appreciated: It’s all the time nice when the very best merchandise in a evaluation can be some of the reasonably priced. The Nostalgia Egg Cooker rings up at an reasonably priced worth and was the one cooker to ship excellent outcomes throughout all three assessments. Like lots of the different fashions, the Nostalgia egg cooker depends on steam and evaporating water to prepare dinner the eggs and sign the tip of the cooking cycle. This mannequin was by far the quickest, whether or not I used to be poaching eggs or hard-boiling. For instance, the Nostalgia accomplished cooking hard-boiled eggs in just below 13 minutes, whereas the Chef’s Alternative did the identical in a whopping 19 minutes. Likewise, the Nostalgia cooked poached eggs in 4 minutes and 38 seconds, with the second quickest (Elite Gourmand) trailing at seven minutes and 5 seconds. Primarily based on these outcomes, I might safely infer that wattage has little to do with cooking velocity, because the Nostalgia has one of many lowest wattages of any on this evaluation.
What we didn’t like: The handbook doesn’t embrace the water quantities for cooking, so hold observe of the measuring cup. The one omelette tray doubles because the poached egg tray, which cuts down on free items but in addition limits you to cooking a single poached egg at a time until you wish to nestle two eggs collectively. The plastic elements are usually not dishwasher-safe, however they had been straightforward to wash by hand.Â
Key Specs
- Supplies: Plastic
- Dimensions: 6.34 x 6.34 x 7.17 inches
- Wattage: 350
- Egg capability: 7
- Equipment: Omelette tray, poached egg tray, measuring cup with egg piercer
- Twine size: 22 inches
- Dishwasher-safe elements?: No
What we appreciated: The Sprint egg cooker is a double-decker mannequin and a meal prepper’s dream. It’s the biggest egg cooker I examined, with sufficient room to hard-boil a dozen eggs in a single go, poach as much as seven eggs, or prepare dinner a three-egg omelette with minimal effort. The cleverly designed two-tiered rack system retains eggs snugly in place, and the clear dome permits you to peek in as they prepare dinner. Regardless of the peak distinction, each tiers delivered evenly cooked outcomes, even when absolutely loaded.
The clearly marked measuring cup takes the guesswork out of doneness. Simply fill to the road, press the button, and stroll away. When you’re accomplished, it’s straightforward to scrub. Each half however the base is dishwasher-safe. The poached egg trays are thoughtfully formed to not less than considerably resemble a historically poached egg. The egg-shaped system is offered in a rainbow of colours, so this cooker isn’t simply sensible—it’s type of cute, too.Â
What we didn’t: The soft-boiled eggs got here out a bit overcooked, extra like medium-boiled. General, I used to be prepared to miss this because of the machine’s massive capability and given the truth that one might merely make a psychological notice so as to add barely much less water for this technique of cooking to nail the consistency. The scale of this cooker is bigger than others, however it’s a worthy trade-off if capability is essential to you.
Key Specs
- Supplies: Plastic
- Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 9 inches
- Wattage: 500
- Egg capability: 12
- Equipment: Omelette tray, poached egg tray (makes 7 directly), measuring cup with egg piercer
- Twine size: 28 inches
- Dishwasher-safe elements?: Sure
What we appreciated: This cooker depends on a easy circuitry-free design to prepare dinner eggs. Which means no buttons to press, no cords to plug in, and no probability of malfunctioning electronics. Simply fill the bottom with water, pop within the eggs, and microwave in keeping with the included chart, which provides you timing directions primarily based on what number of eggs you wish to prepare dinner and your microwave’s wattage. It’s light-weight, straightforward to wash, and the smallest I examined at simply over six inches excessive. The lid nests into the bottom for much more compact storage. For folk who’ve restricted counter house or those that simply desire a no-fuss software that will get the job accomplished, this one’s refreshingly simple and reasonably priced.
What we didn’t: It might solely prepare dinner 4 eggs directly and might’t make omelettes or poached eggs. Past that, the most important draw back is that getting it out of the microwave was somewhat sketchy. The bottom stays filled with boiling water, and there is no deal with or heat-proof grip to assist with maneuvering. One incorrect tilt and also you’re risking a steam burn or a lap filled with boiling water. (Grippy oven mitts will assist.)
Key Specs
- Supplies: Plastic and aluminum
- Dimensions: 5.5 x 5.5 x 6.2 inches
- Wattage: Not relevant
- Egg capability: 4
- Equipment: None
- Twine size: Not relevant
- Dishwasher-safe elements?: No
The Competitors
- Cuisinart Egg Central: This cooker gave nice outcomes till I attempted to make soft-boiled eggs. The measuring cup has the egg doneness printed subsequent to 2 totally different water stage traces, with the handbook suggesting to fill between the traces for soft-boiled eggs. I adopted the directions…which led to disastrously undercooked eggs that collapsed right into a pile of egg and shell goo.
- Chef’s Alternative Gourmand Egg Cooker: That is the one electrical cooker within the take a look at that doesn’t depend on an evaporative approach to find out doneness. As a substitute, you fill the reservoir with water—no must measure—and select your most popular doneness. The difficulty with this technique lies with the trickiness of the dial. There was no actual solution to know if the dial was precisely counting down, resulting in inconsistent outcomes. The hard-boiled eggs had been at occasions overcooked and different occasions completely accomplished.
- Bella Electrical Egg Cooker: This cooker overcooked poached eggs and produced some eggs that had been laborious to peel cleanly.
- Hamilton Seaside Electrical Egg Cooker: I actually wished to love this cooker due to its hefty nonstick trays. Nevertheless, it doesn’t have an audible alert to let you recognize when the eggs are accomplished cooking, and it constantly overcooked the poached eggs. The hard-boiled eggs got here out good, and this machine might nonetheless be an excellent possibility if you wish to make egg bites.
- Elite Gourmand Speedy Egg Cooker: Eggs cooked inconsistently on this cooker, with one bordering medium-boiled whereas the opposite three had been solidly hard-boiled.
FAQs
How do you employ an egg cooker?
All of the cookers I examined for this evaluation used steam to prepare dinner the eggs. The fundamental concept is that you simply add the eggs to the cooker, add some water, and prepare dinner, both by the machine’s built-in heating aspect or a microwave. Most fashions include a measuring cup that tells you precisely how a lot water to make use of relying on what number of eggs you’re cooking and the way mushy or laborious you need the yolks.Â
How do you clear an egg cooker?
All the time double-check your egg cooker’s handbook to find out the easiest way to wash it. Most of the machines I examined had a heating plate that could possibly be cleaned with a moist fabric or rubbed with vinegar within the occasion of laborious water residue. Some had dishwasher-safe elements and trays, whereas others needed to be hand-washed..Â
Why We’re the Consultants
- Taylor Murray has labored in meals and meals media for over 10 years, together with in award-winning eating places like Eleven Madison Park. She has written extensively for Critical Eats. (Try her opinions of enameled forged iron skillets and vacuum sealers.)
- Taylor examined eight egg cookers by cooking dozens of eggs in every. She used the machines to organize hard-boiled, soft-boiled, and poached eggs.Â