A poached egg can be a very healthy yet decadent breakfast, lunch or dinner option as there is no fat used to cook it. A firm white and warm runny yolk makes for a great topping for avocado toast or a sauce for a plate of noodles. You can even simply serve a hollandaise sauce over it. However, poaching it the traditional way in a pot of hot simmering water is not the easiest, especially if you want to cook more than one egg at a time. If you use an egg poacher instead, you’ll still be able to make great poached eggs quickly and without a mess. That’s why our best egg poacher reviews aim to help you find the right one for your needs.
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What is an Egg Poacher?
There are many ways to cook an egg. There are a few all-in-one breakfast gadgets that let you cook an egg as well as toast your bread or bagel in one shot for your morning breakfast. You can fry it on a pan or griddle, boil it, scramble it, make an omelet or poach it. The last method can be tricky for beginners so that’s where an egg poacher comes in.
An egg poacher uses a pot containing small cups to hold a raw egg over a hot water bath to cook it by steaming or indirect heating. The water doesn’t come directly in contact with the eggs and the cup holds the eggs together so that the whites are completely intact. All poachers should have a vented lid so that there’s no chance of excess pressure causing the eggs to explode.
There are three types of poachers to choose from. A stainless steel egg poacher with removable egg cups sitting on a tray is the best type for electric, gas or induction hob cooking. You fill the poacher pan with water just up to the bottom of the egg cups and bring to a simmering boil. The eggs quickly cook in the cups with the lid of the pan closed. With this method you have to time the cooking after some experimentation to get the perfect poached egg that you prefer. The pan and lid without the egg cups and tray can be used as a normal saute pan at other times so it is well worth getting for its multi-functional uses.
If you already have a suitable pan and just want egg cups for the poaching, then you can either get an insert with non-stick cups that are held above the water, or get some silicone egg cups that you sit directly in the pan with the water bubbling around them.
If you and your family absolutely love eggs in any form and want to make several at a time, you should consider an electric egg cooker and poacher. You fill the lower chamber with water, plug the cooker in and wait for it to finish cooking. You usually get an egg holder for boiled eggs, a tray for poached eggs and a tray for an omelet. It normally comes with an automatic shut off and relies on the amount of water you add to it to determine cooking time. If you want hard boiled eggs or a poached egg with a firm yolk, you add more water and you decrease the water the less firm you want the egg. You will need a spot on your kitchen counter if you intend to use it everyday or a cabinet space for weekly use.
The final method of poaching is in the microwave where a food-safe plastic container with vented lid and one or more cavities to hold eggs is used. You add a small amount of water to each cavity to generate steam to poach the eggs and just turn the microwave on for a very short time.
So what is the best egg poacher to buy? We have selected a few of each type of poacher that are rated highly by customers, so read on!
Best Egg Poacher Pan
This type of poacher consists of a pan with lid and comes with an insert to hold one or more cups that hold eggs. You fill the pan with just about an inch of water and place the insert in it. The bottom of the cups don’t need to touch the water since this method cooks the eggs by steaming them. The egg holder cups are removable and can be sprayed with cooking oil first and then filled with eggs before placing them into their holders in the insert once the water has started boiling. Cover with the lid and let them poach while the cups are surrounded by the simmering water.
This type of poacher is the most versatile because you can either use the cups to steam breakfast muffins and even individual mini portions of veggies, or you can remove the insert and cups entirely and use the pan for normal cooking.
All the egg cups that come with poacher pans will have Teflon coating on them. While this may be a concern if you’re frying eggs, there is only steaming involved here, so the coating will not peel with long term use. To ensure complete safety, you should hand wash just the cups with a sponge.
How long do you cook poached eggs in a poaching pan? Usually anywhere from 3 minutes to 5 minutes depending on how set you like your eggs. If you like firm whites with a warm and gooey yolk, it will probably take less than 4 minutes. However, you have to take other things into account, like size of eggs, altitude and temperature of the water, so you’ll have to test different times in the beginning to see what works for you. Read on to find the best pan for poaching eggs.
ExcelSteel Non Stick Induction Cooktop Egg Poacher for 2, 4 or 6 Eggs
These pans are lightweight and all made of durable stainless steel, so they can be used by themselves for gentle sauteing of veggies, etc. You can make poached eggs for breakfast in the morning and use the pan later in the day for cooking something else without needing to wash it in between. The riveted handle stays cool while cooking. The base is encapsulated for even cooking and the vented lid is made of tempered clear glass with a knob so you can see inside while cooking.
The vented poacher insert is also stainless steel while the egg cups are coated in non-stick PFOA & PFOE Free Teflon so nothing can rust and you only need to lightly spray or rub oil or butter in them to make a cooked egg slide out easily. A small spatula is also provided to help coax the egg out if needed. These cups can hold even jumbo eggs. Each cup also has a small stainless steel loop handle you allow you to remove the cups from the insert. They have to be pointed towards the center of the pan when in use. These do not stay cool to the touch so you will need to use an oven mitt or a small pair of rubber tongs to lift the cups out when they’re still hot.
The 6 egg poacher is 9″ in diameter, the 4 egg poacher is 7.5″ and the 2 egg poaching pan is 6.75″ in diameter. They can all be used on an induction cooktop.
The non-stick cups are best cleaned by hand to preserve the coating but all the other parts are dishwasher-safe.
Eggssentials Poached Egg Maker for 4 Eggs or 6 Eggs
The Eggssentials poachers are very similar to the ExcelSteel ones except that these are easier to handle when hot! They are also the best rated egg poacher pans. You can make up to 4 eggs or up to 6 eggs, as you can choose between two models – the Eggssentials Poached Egg Maker for 4 eggs or the Eggssentials 6 Egg Poacher Pan.
These gas, electric or induction egg poacher pans are sturdy but lightweight and made of stainless steel with a 3 ply aluminium encapsulated bonding. They also work as saute pans by themselves. The 4 egg poacher pan is 8.5″ in diameter and the 6 egg poacher pan is 10.5″. Each cup can hold an XL or jumbo egg.
The tempered glass lid features a Bakelite plastic knob so you can handle it when hot. The pan handle is wrapped in Bakelite and the knob holders of all the cups and the stainless steel insert are made of Bakelite. While these do make them easier to handle, they do get hot under steam and the pan handle should be kept away from the flame on a gas stove.
The inside of the stainless steel poacher cups feature a PFOA free nonstick coating that releases cooked eggs easily with the help of the included spatula if sprayed or wiped lightly with oil or butter. A perfectly poached egg with a runny yolk will take about 5 minutes.
Modern Innovations Stainless Steel Perfect Poached Egg Maker for 4 or 6 Eggs
Here the pan handle has silicone wrapping instead of plastic and the knob on the glass lid is metal. The knob holders on each poacher cup are made of silicone but you do need to position them away from the steam vents or you can get a steam burn when taking them out of the insert.
The stainless steel insert is a bit on the thin side and the edges of the cup holders in it are a bit sharp. It may also warp if cleaned in the dishwasher. Otherwise, the pan is sturdy and good quality and can be used as a saute pan when using the insert and cups.
RSVP International Endurance Single Egg Poacher Pan
There is no separate insert here, as the egg cup sits nicely on the pan’s lip and the cup features its own flat handle that protrudes out from under the lid when the egg is being cooked. You can use a pair of tongs or a pot holder to lift the cup off of the pan and the egg will slide off easily with the help of a silicone spatula.
Before you buy, make sure to measure your stovetop burner or plate. If using an induction stove, a very small base like that of this 1 egg poacher may not allow the plate to turn on. Likewise, you should have a small burner holder on a gas stove that will safely hold the pan level.
Best Electric Egg Poachers
Using poaching pans on the stovetop is a great foolproof way to poach eggs but if you like to vary your breakfast a bit by making different types of eggs through the week you’ll need another stovetop pan. You also need to experiment a bit to figure out how long to cook the eggs each time and even vary the cooking time when you change the number of eggs.
For a more versatile kitchen gadget consider an electric egg cooker with automatic shut off that’s designed to cook eggs in a number of different ways. You can fill the base with the right amount of water based on what kind of egg you want and just turn the plugged in device on. It will automatically shut off once all the water has evaporated and alert you once done.
Be aware that this method requires you to vary the amount of water you add to the cooking tray. If you use jumbo eggs, you’ll need to add more water – maybe a tad more than what the instructions say to get the eggs to cook exactly the way you like. This is because the cooker will stop on its own once all the water has evaporated. If you only want eggs occasionally and like to steam vegetables, fish and poultry, then consider getting a good electric food steamer with an egg tray.
Dash Rapid Egg Cooker and Deluxe Rapid Egg Cooker
This device comes with a measuring cup with markings down the outside to indicate how much water should be filled in the cooker’s base. There are 3 markings for boiled eggs – hard, medium and soft, and markings for an omelet or poached eggs. There is a pin at the base of the cup that you can use to pierce the bottom of the eggs that you want to boil. There is also a recipe booklet.
The Dash Rapid can boil 6 eggs at a time while they sit in their holder plate that’s placed on top of the base that’s filled with a certain amount of water (the most for hard boiled and least for soft boiled). You cover them with the clear BPS plastic vented domed lid, turn the device on and carry on with other tasks. The cooker will turn off by itself once all the water has evaporated and alert you with a very loud chime and the blue light in the front will turn off.
This cooker also comes with two additional trays – one for an omelet or scrambled eggs and one split tray to make two poached eggs. You can add any toppings to your omelet. These trays have to sit on top of the empty boiled eggs tray so as not to touch the hot metal base. You can play around with the amount of water indicated on the measuring cup to get just the right amount of doneness you like.
This cooker is just 6″ high and 7.5″ in diameter. You can boil XL or jumbo eggs in it if you place them strategically in the holder, but it’s best to use slightly smaller eggs or just 4 Jumbo at a time.
Except for the electric base, all the other parts are dishwasher safe in the top rack.
If you want to boil more than 6 eggs or poached 7 eggs, then you can get the 500 watts Dash Deluxe Rapid Cooker which lets you boil 12 eggs at a time using a double layer – 8 on the bottom holder and 4 on the top holder. You also get a larger two trays for poaching. The bottom tray is split into 4 and the top tray is split into 3. The omelet tray is a bit larger than the one you get with the Dash Rapid. The whole cooker is 9″ high and 8″ in diameter. The Deluxe Rapid also comes with a measuring cup and recipe booklet.
There’s another use for both these cookers – the trays can also hold a small quantity of veggies for steaming. Both also come in several different colors to match your kitchen.
Maxi-Matic Elite Cuisine EGC-007 Easy Electric Egg Poacher and Cooker
The Maxi-Matic Elite Cuisine poached egg machine also comes with a two egg split poacher tray and a single omelet tray. Both these need to be placed over the boiled egg holder when being used. The provided measuring cup has clear firmness markings for three levels of boiled egg doneness and for poached eggs and omelets. The bottom of the cup has a piercing tool at the bottom to prick the wide end of the eggs that you want to boil. You have to keep the pierced ends on the top when placing them on the tray.
The trays can be used to hold more than just eggs. You can also steam veggies, buns and dimsums. Once the water evaporates, there’s a built in buzzer and auto-shutoff so that it stops cooking and you’ll be alerted. Be warned that the alert is very loud! The remaining unvented steam will continue cooking the eggs for a little while longer until you remove the lid.
This cooker’s dimensions are 6.25″ tall by 7.6″ wide and can be kept permanently on the kitchen counter if used everyday or stored in a drawer or cabinet as well.
Cuisinart CEC-10 Central Egg Cooker
This egg cooker is rated at 600 watts and can boil up to 10 eggs at a time, poach up to 4 eggs and make a 3-egg omelet. There is a 180 ml measuring cup with piercing pin at the bottom to use for piercing the wide end of shells before you boil them. When boiling eggs, the bottom tray can hold 7 eggs while the smaller top tray that is placed over the 7 eggs can hold 3. When using the poaching or omelet tray, you have to place it on the lower tier boiled egg tray and not directly on the hot metal base.
The domed lid is vented and made of sleek brushed stainless steel. There is also a built-in cord storage to keep your kitchen tidy when it’s not in use.
When the water has evaporated and the eggs are done there’s a blue LED indicator that goes off and an audible alert. It also goes into standby mode until you turn the cooker off.
Best Silicone Egg Poachers
If you already have a pot with a vented lid for the stovetop or microwave, you may not need to get an entire egg poacher/cooker. As long as you can fill it up with a certain amount of water for steaming using either method, all you need to poach eggs are cups that hold the egg and can withstand boiling water without overturning. The best material for these cups is food-grade silicone because they can be subjected to a wide range of temperatures whether in a pot on the stovetop,microwave, oven or dishwasher.
COZILIFE Silicone Egg Poaching Cups with Ring Standers
You can play around with the two different methods of poaching as long as you have an adequate pot for boiling or steaming water. You place one or more of these cups filled with an egg in a boiling pot of water for the stovetop or pre-heated pot of water for the microwave and close it with a vented lid. The raised lips of the silicone cups protects the eggs from direct contact of the surrounding hot water and your eggs will be done in no time just by steaming.
The eggs are supported by bottom ring stands to keep the cups stable even in the agitated water. The three raised holes act as holders to safely lift the cups out without burning your fingers. If you lightly oiled the cups before dropping the eggs in, the cooked eggs will easily slide out of them and onto your plate or slice of toast. You can also just eat the egg right out of the cup to minimize washing up.
These cups are multi-functional, as you can use them as cake or dessert molds in the oven, or jelly molds in the fridge. Also use them to melt chocolate or make a cheese sauce in a pot on the stove or directly in the microwave.
They’re really easy to clean, either by hand or thrown in the dishwasher. To save on storage space, these cups can be stacked.
Skoo Silicone Egg Poaching Cups
Each of these food-safe silicone cups comes with its own lid, so you can place them filled with an egg and closed with these secure vented lids directly on the microwave turntable and they won’t cause an explosion. You can also use them in a normal lidded pot of water or an Instant Pot. Just stand them inside the pot of water that’s brought to a gentle boil (just 1 inch is enough) but don’t use the included lids. Leave them open and instead cover the pot with its vented lid. The ringed base has vents to allow the hot water and steam to circulate even underneath the egg for even poaching. These holes also provide more stability to the cups and prevent them from dancing around in the boiling water.
When done, the little removable plastic handles and the included fork-like tool make it easy to lift them out without burning your fingers. If using these cups in the oven for baking, first remove the handles. They can be reattached later.
OXO Good Grips Silicone Egg Poacher(Set of 2)
This set of two BPA free and dishwasher safe silicone poachers are designed in an hourglass shape and must be placed with the hole pattern half down in a boiling pot of water. The helpful fill lines on the inside let you know what tehe level of water should be. You crack an egg into each and the funnel in the poachers guides the egg down into the water to cook without the yolk breaking. The bottom half of the poachers keep the egg contained within a circular area and the holed pattern keeps the poachers steady and upright and allows the hot water to circulate freely all around the eggs.
Once the eggs are cooked you can use your fingers to lift the poachers by their raised lips out of the pot and then scoop out the eggs as well.
For compact storage, these poachers collapse into half and are stackable.
The OXO Good Grips poachers are quite large in diameter, so while they’ll easily poach jumbo-sized eggs perfectly, you will need a large pot to hold them.
Best Microwave Egg Poacher
If you have a microwave, then the most convenient and space saving way to poach eggs is to use a microwave egg poacher that only poaches eggs. This method gives you more of a coddled egg because there is no separate source of steam involved. However, you can add just about half to 1 teaspoon of water into each egg cavity along with the egg to still have that moisture. Cooking times will vary depending on various factors like your microwave power and size of eggs, so you will have to experiment a bit initially for your perfect poaching time.
Nordic Ware 2 Egg Microwave Poacher
You can poach two eggs up to jumbo size in the 3 inch cavities. First lightly oil the cavities and add half a teaspoon in each before placing the eggs in. Once the eggs are in, prick the yolks, snap the poacher shut and place it directly on the microwave tray properly centered for even poaching of both eggs. Once poaching is done you can take the poacher out of the microwave but leave it to cool while still shut for a minute. When ready to open, the eggs should slide out easily.
One complaint seems to be that after a few uses, the lid doesn’t snap shut or stay closed while cooking. To solve this many say that they use a rubber band around the handle and this prevents the eggs from exploding all over your microwave.
Sistema Microwave Cookware Easy Eggs
It has a vent on the lid that you need to open before poaching and the egg cavity is quite large so the egg will be on the thin side, but other than that you can get a nicely poached egg with a runny yolk and firm white.
It is dishwasher safe in the top rack only and is made of BPA and phthalate-free virgin plastic. It’s a nice device that you can use for making a light lunch or breakfast at work.
Prep Solutions by Progressive Microwave Egg Poacher
You can poach 1 to 4 eggs at a time. Just add half a teaspoon of water to each cavity, drop the egg in, prick the yolks, and add another half teaspoon on top before you cover the tray with the lid. The venting happens through the cutouts in the center bottom of the tray and you don’t need to oil or butter the cavities first, as the eggs will slide right out.
This is the best poached egg maker for microwave use and is BPA free and dishwasher safe.
Best Egg Poacher Insert for a Pan
Eggssentials Stainless Steel Egg Poacher Pan Insert
This insert comes with an option of 2, 4 or 6 non-stick egg cups and a stainless steel rack holder that keeps the cups about two inches above the bottom of any suitable pot. The rack holder for each size is 6.25″, 7.25″ and 9″ in diameter. The 2 cup and 4 cup versions are compatible with 5, 6 and 8 quart Instant Pots or any equivalent pressure cooker or pot with a vented lid. You will need a bigger pot for the 6 cup version. Each cup is large enough to hold an XL or jumbo egg. The coddled/poached eggs can then be easily tipped out of each cup individually as they have a convenient knob handle.
This option is the most stable if you’re poaching on the stovetop, as silicone cups can be a bit unsteady if they’re placed in vigorously boiling water.
All the pieces here are dishwasher safe and the cups can be stacked for compact storage.
What are the Best Eggs for Poaching?
Use the freshest eggs you can find for poaching, especially if you use the traditional water bath method, as fresh whites tend to hold together better whereas older whites spread out more. Fresh eggs make a better rounded shape when poached.
If you have lots of eggs on hand and want to pick out the freshest, you can test them by putting them in a bowl of cold water. Very fresh eggs will lay horizontally on their sides at the bottom of the bowl. A less fresh egg will stay at the bottom but will stand up in the water. If it floats, it’s the least fresh. If you don’t have the best eggs, use a fine mesh sieve to drain off the runnier wispy white parts. Then transfer the remaining egg into a small bowl before sliding it gently into the water for poaching or transfer it to the egg cup of a poacher. This is anyway a better method of adding eggs to the water bath or poacher rather than cracking the egg directly in because the more gentle you are the better formed the egg will be.
You can also add a little vinegar to the water to activate the proteins in the whites to better coagulate around the yolk.
What Else Can I Cook in my Egg Poacher?
Besides using the stainless steel poacher pan as a saucepan, the small cups can be used to steam individual portions of cut up vegetables, make custards, creme brulee or crustless cheesecake. You can even use it as a double boiler for melting chocolate.
Featured image “Eggruption II” by Seph Swain is licensed under CC BY 2.0
is this egg poacher suitable for cooking on a gas stove..
Thnks.
Which particular one? All the poachers under “Best Egg Poacher Pan” are suitable for gas top cooking. It is already mentioned