Cooking & Baking

Last edited Mon Oct 27, 2025, 09:38 AM - Edit history (2)

runny whites which I can't stand. To have solid whites, I end up with solid yokes. Other than that, I like it.

I don't have any experience with poaching besides using these cups, despite my many advanced years.

As I indicated, it requires very hot water - near boiling or very gently boiling. But if the boiling is too vigorous, the bubbles will swamp and sink the poacher/egg. Also cover with a lid.

Then these things have only 3 high-point corners, dee dee dee der duh. So to put the poacher/egg in the water, you pinch it in 2 places. None of the corners (the natural place to pinch) is opposite the other, so if one pinches 2 corners, it is unbalanced and in danger of dumping the egg into the water (it's happened to me a couple of times until I learned to pinch hard).

Solution: pinch 2 of the corners firmly. Or pinch a corner and near the opposite side, pinch a point midway between a corner and a lowest point also works well. It took me awhile to learn this.

Opposite every corner is a low point -- for perfect balance, ideally pinch a corner and the opposite low point. But that low point is just a little bit above the hot hot water level, so I don't do that. With a latex glove on that hand, it would be just fine for the moment it takes to place it in the water or to take it out of the water.

Here's the URL again for convenience
https://www.amazon.com/Egg-Poacher-COZILIFE-Build-Microwave/dp/B01LXBW1UI

It comes with 4 of these in different colors,

I see that scrolling down in the URL to other related products, there exists ones with 2 high points opposite each other, which might be a smarter buy.

The other thing is to spray the poacher with vegetable oil spray or olive oil spray or whatever, and rub it around the inside so that the entire inside surface is coated (rubbing in margarine also works, probably butter would work fine too). When done, the egg will slide right out, or with a little nudge. If you forget the oil/margarine/butter, or leave unlubricated spots, then it is hell getting it out of the poacher except scraping it out with a spoon in pieces.

Edited to add
The above description is when putting in a slow cooker deep with hot water, so that it has to float. But according to the product description:

and from a picture: "Poacher stand steady on pad in 1" water"



So I don't have to worry about the pan being too hot for the bottoms of these things, as long as there is water in the pan of course.

And no problem with pinching a corner and the opposite low side to put in or take out of the water, since even the low side is safely above the water level. But whatever, I find firmly pinching 2 corners works fine too.

Here's an interesting review --