Silicone egg poachers.

[diddl]

Any good?

Easy to use?

All the direct into water methods seem such a faff & don't really have room for a pan in cupboards.

But you still need a pan for a silicone egg poacher - or is this something else?

I presume op is referring to the special egg poacher pans with the insert, rather than just an ordinary saucepan in which you'd boil water..

Tbh I find them more faff than just poaching in a pan of water....

Sorry, yes-have got ordinary pans to put a silicone egg poacher in.

I do have memories of using a poacher pan with inserts & the eggs getting stuck.

Was a very old not non stick thing so greasing was crucial.

I was hoping silicone would be much easier to use.

I can see the appeal of direct in the water avoiding all of that.

Perhaps I should just get a coddler as you eat straight fro that!

They're fine - easy to use and clean. Mine came from a pound shop cos I wanted to try them. I think the egg tastes better if cooked in the water though.

Ooh, £1 shop.

That's an idea!

I didn’t like mine. I find silicone cooking stuff gets a weird sort of oily residue that doesn’t wash off properly also they are a bit of a pain as they bob about in the pan. Probably better if you have a really small pan so they can’t move much.

I replaced them with metal ones which hang over the side of the pan and I’ve had much more success with them.

I hate mine. Eggs take absolutely forever to cook.
I am poaching in a mug in the microwave now. Perfect poached eggs in no time at all!

I had some but didn't like them. I use poachies now that are made out of tea bag type paper. You break the egg into them and pinch the top shut and put it in the water.

I love mine, perfect poached eggs everytime. I had 100% failure without it.

Yes they are good. They need a dot of oil first, and then float in a saucepan of simmering water. Time depends on egg size. Works better if the saucepan has a lid

I hate them! Takes forever for the egg to cook, the eggs won't come out and they're horrible to clean. Cling film is the way forward!

Poaching eggs directly in water isn’t hard - I just don’t understand why you need a gadget to do it.

They key is simply very fresh eggs.

I do mine in a saucepan, but another good option is Delia’s method of a frying pan. Just bring the water to a simmer in a non stick frying pan - beak in the egg (as if you were doing a fried egg) and baste the top with the water.

I hate mine. Eggs take absolutely forever to cook.

This! They take ages. I found the secret was to break the egg into a cup and then gently tip into the water, rather than directly break it into the water.

Also the water should be just simmering, not boiling.

For the egg in the microwave, do you need to pierce the yolk?

You don’t. This is the recipe I use.

Just crack a fresh egg into a mug and pour it into a simmering pot of hot water for 4 minutes. That's it.

Well when you put it like that, Peaches, it sounds within even my capabilities.

I thought that you had to add vinegar & keep swirling & stuff like that that I cba with!

I just crack the egg into boiling water (usually with veg/spinach/lentils etc in) and turn off the heat. eat it when cooked. yum.

Use a frying pan, splash of vinegar in water bring to the boil. Give a brisk stir to create a vortex and break in eggs. Use a fish slice to lift out and drain water.

I like poachies too. The eggs in my fridge aren't always fresh enough to get away with just poaching in water.

You need to put a lid on the pan and cook for 5mins 30 sec