To throw the stupid egg poacher in the bin?

[LoveInTokyo]

Today I bought a couple of silicone egg poachers, the kind that hook over the edge of the saucepan. They were quite expensive because everything is expensive where I live and we were in a fancy I-saw-you-coming shop.

Anyway, I am pretty good at poaching eggs just in a pan full of water, but I’m always trying to make them neater and have never managed to do two at once that way.

So I thought I’d give these a go.

Total disaster.

The first egg just spread out all over the pan to the point where I had to throw it away.

I then tried again and just about managed to poach two eggs, but I had to stand there holding the bloody things because when I let go they dropped too far down into the water and started to “escape” from the moulds, it took far longer than it normally takes to poach two eggs one after the other, and they were a mess.

What am I doing wrong? Should I persevere, or are they just a piece of shit and useless to anyone who actually knows how to poach an egg?

Imma need a diagram

Your final sentence is correct. That are total shit and completely unnecessary washing up. And IMO they don't actually poach an egg as there is no contact with the water. It is more like steaming or baking an egg.

Poached eggs are really easy - the moulds are not helping you!

I watched Nigella strain an egg to help keep it neater-and she says do not boil the water while the egg is in (so boil it and then turn it down to actually poach the egg).

The fresher the egg the better fit keeping their shape.

I have a ds who would live on poached eggs if given the chance!

i got a microwave egg poacher from aldi the other day and its brilliant. Try one of those!

My mum used to have something similar to this. Wished I'd kept it made nice pouched eggs.

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My parents used to have an egg poaching pan, a bit like this www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-'the-pan'-egg-poacher-4-hole/p707656.

Like, Vita, I wish I'd kept it!!

Microwave egg poachers are the biggest pile of shite going

I marched out to the wheelie bin with my slow cooker the other day. One shit meal too many from that piece of crap.

Bin it op.

The only secret to making poached eggs is how fresh they are. Fresh eggs poach well. Drop in boiling water. Few minutes. Job done.

Watch the nigella video on YouTube

I just bought one similar to PanPan's link, except mine was from Aldi.
It was bloody rubbish, the little poachers are plastic and the white's just didn't cook.

Crack an egg into a mug then gently drop it into the pan of simmering water. Fool proof.

I use large biscuit cutters! Keep them a lovely shape have looked at the silicone ones before but I won't bother trying them after the above posts!

I'm still using my trusty poaching pan with the 4 little cups that I purchased in Woolworths in 1988. Really fancy poached eggs on toasted muffins for breakfast tomorrow now.

The silicone ones are awful. The eggs stick. I have a lovely perforated metal one that hangs over the side of the pan and cooks two eggs to perfection.

OH bought some silicone ones..the eggs stick andI have no idea how you are supposed to put them in the water...they have a couple of holes in the top and I threaded a skewer threw and suspended it fromt he side of the pan.

Didnt bloody work well...much easier to just drop them in a pan of water

I cannot poach an egg to safe my life!🤣 But I found an egg poacher you put on the hob in Aldi about 2 weeks ago for £4.99 and now I have perfectly poached eggs 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 just need to spray a little oil in the cups to stop the eggs from sticking👍🏻😀

Take an egg, put it in a small sieve, boil a pan of water with a tiny bit of vinegar in it, NO salt, once boiling take it off the heat and add egg, put back on heat without boiling until egg is cooked the way you want, remove egg carefully and drain before putting into buttered toast, job done!!

I have no problem with the silicone ones though I do oil them v lightly and I've never understood the point of the holes, I just lower them into the pan with two hands.

Cling film, spray or brush with oil. Tie or clip the cling film and lower into a pan of simmering water. These are the best poached eggs I have ever made.

SmurfOrTerf, the one my parents had was absolutely ancient! Maybe even older than the one that maddiemookins has! IIRC, it might have been all aluminium (?) and you put a 'dab' of butter in the little cups prior to breaking the egg into each one - over the boiling water.

Perhaps maddiemookins could confirm, please?!

I've got one like that PanPan - I love it!

Yes PanPan my DM had one with little metal poachers and it worked. You did indeed have to put a dab of butter in them. In fact if I could just get some of the little metal things I would be happy
Oh I could just manage a poached egg

Bottom does yours have metal or plastic egg holders ?