Our Guide to the Best Egg Poachers
Everyone has their favorite way of cooking an egg. Boiled, over-easy, sunny side up, scrambled, baked, the list goes on and on. You likely have your own preference (well, either that or you simply don’t like eggs, in which case please accept our condolences). However, there is truly only one way of preparing an egg that qualifies as the best. Of course, we’re talking about poaching. No grease, no shell, perfect texture, all the flavor. There’s simply no reason to even consider cooking an egg any other way. This is absolutely the best.
But of course you know that. After all, you’ve clicked on an egg poaching buyer’s guide. So it’s safe to assume that you love a high quality poached egg. It’s also safe to assume that you are aware of how difficult it is to properly poach an egg. We hear you. While boiling or frying eggs have their own challenges, it’s still basically cooking 101 and difficult to screw up. Poaching eggs on the other hand is fairly tricky to do at home without any assistance. There’s a reason why chefs tend to focus on the mode of egg preparation. It’s a way to show off your technique.
However, we live in an era of specialized cooking appliances. No longer are home chefs forced to perfect their egg poaching technique with little more than a pot and a stovetop. Now there are a seemingly endless array of appliances, devices, and cups that can help you make that perfect poached egg without all the practice. It’s not hard to find an item that will help you poach an egg anymore. The challenge is finding the right item. It can be anything from a large egg shaped device that cooks a dozen eggs at once to a piece of plastic that poaches a single egg in the microwave.
How you choose to narrow down your egg poaching search comes down to what you need in a poacher. That’s where we come in. Below, you’ll find a list of our favorite poachers of various styles along with their pros and cons. Below that, you’ll find you’ll find a guide exploring what you should be looking for in an egg poacher. In other words, but the end of this article you’ll know everything that you could possibly want to know about egg poachers and probably know exactly which one that you want to bring into your kitchen.
Best Overall Egg Poacher — Dash Rapid Egg Cooker
If money and counter space are no object, then you really can’t do any better than the Dash Rapid Egg Cooker. Not only will the Dash Rapid Egg Cooker provide you with the perfect poached egg after the mere press of a button, but this little beauty of a machine can also cook the perfect boiled egg (hard or soft!), scrambled eggs, and even omelettes. In other words, this isn’t just the best poacher that you could possibly own, it’s your one stop egg shop that’ll keep you and your family fed regardless of their egg preferences. All that for a fairly reasonable price of $25 as well. How could you lose?
Pros
- Sleek design.
- Makes boiled eggs and omelettes in addition to poached eggs.
- Energy Efficient.
- Recipe book included.
Cons
- Will take up a fair amount of cupboard and counter space for such a specialized appliance.
Best Stovetop Egg Poacher — Eggssentials Poached Egg Maker
If you’re hunting down a classy and traditional egg poacher, then Eggssentials Poached Egg Maker is exactly what you’re looking for. Made of slick stainless and capable of poaching four eggs to perfection, this is the best way to prepare eggs your way from the comfort of your stovetop. In addition to being premium quality and easy on the eyes, Eggssentials beautiful pan is also easy to use and clean. It’s designed to be your best friend in the mornings and will really help you step up that breakfast game.
Pros
- Sleek stainless steel design.
- Evenly poaches four eggs at once.
- Easy to clean.
- Professional quality.
Cons
- Some users have complained about a plastic smell and off-gassing period.
Best Microwave Egg Poacher — COZILIFE Silicon Egg Poaching Cups With Ring Standers
The previous egg poachers covered on this list are fairly expensive and large luxury cooking items. Perhaps that isn’t suited for your budget or lifestyle. Maybe you’re simply looking for a quick and easy way to poach some eggs in the morning without throwing your back out or being late for work. In that case, consider the COZILIFE Silicon Egg Poaching Cups With Ring Standers. These attractive and affordable little cups will allow you to create wonderful poached eggs in your microwave in a matter of minutes. Easy to use, durable, and infinitely reusable, these simple little cups will change your breakfasts forever. Best of all, if you don’t love the texture of eggs poached in a microwave, then these cute and colourful cups (sold in packs of four with a stackable easily storable design) will also work on your stovetop with a pan. What’s not to love?
Pros
- Cute and colorful design.
- Easy to clean and store (stackable).
- Will work in the microwave or on a stovetop.
- Washing machine safe.
Cons
- Some users find it difficult to drop these into their pots or time cooking properly on a microwave.
Best Egg Poacher Rack — Eggssentials Egg Poacher Rack
While specially designed appliances and pans are an effective option to poach eggs, not everyone has the space to bring a new product like that into their kitchen. For them, this traditional Egg Poacher Rack from Eggssentials should do the trick. It’s a simple item used with pan, pot, or skillet to contain eggs and keep them visible as you poach. This is a simple little attachment that aids immeasurably in egg poaching. All of that for an affordable price and it will take up very little shelf space. These used to be the only egg poaching aids and they continue to stock store shelves because they work.
Pros
- Simple and effective design.
- Easy to clean and store (stackable).
- Washing machine safe.
Cons
- Difficult to handle after sitting in boiling water.
- Eggs stick without some sort of oil or grease.
Best Instant Pot Egg Poacher — Pramoo Silicone Egg Bites Molds and Steamer Rack For Instant Pot
If you need to poach a large amount of eggs at once and don’t feel like buying an entire new appliance to do so, consider Pramoo’s Silicone Egg Bites Molds and Steamer Rack For Instant Pot. This simple and affordable product allows you to poach up to 14 eggs at once within any Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. That’s right, you’ve had the perfect device to poach large quantities of eggs at once on your kitchen counter for years, you just didn’t know it. All it takes is this affordable and colorful little accessory to make all of your egg poaching dreams a reality! This is perfect for large holiday breakfasts with extended family groups or bed and breakfast owners. Suddenly a seemly insurmountable egg-poaching task will fee like a simple endeavor. As a bonus, you can also use these to make anything from Starbucks-style egg bites to one-bite brownies and baby food! The possibilities are seemingly endless!
Pros
- Cute and colorful design.
- Easy to clean and store (stackable).
- Will work in any instant pot or pressure cooker.
Cons
- Not washing machine safe.
Things To Look Out For
Here are some things to consider when choosing which egg poacher is right for you.
Quality Of Construction
There are plenty of cheap egg poachers out there. However, often those price tags are miniscule for a reason. It’s always worth taking the time to research how your potential poacher is made, because those momentary savings might not be worth much if the product breaks down quickly and needs to be replaced.
Size And Portability
What do you need your egg poacher for? Will you only ever poach your eggs at home? Or perhaps you might want to bring your poacher on camping/cottage trips or visits to relatives homes over the holidays? The answers to these questions should play a major role in your choice of poacher. Because if you will only ever poach eggs at home, you can purchase a much bulkier poacher than if you plan on poaching eggs on the go down the road.
The Number Of Eggs You Plan To Poach At Once
If you live alone and plan on purchasing a poacher to feed yourself on the weekends, then perhaps a small poacher that only cooks one-to-two eggs at a time is enough. However, if you have a large family or own a bed and breakfast, then it’s worth considering some of the more elaborate poachers that can cook as many as a dozen eggs at a single time. It all comes down to your intended use and needs. So keep this in mind before you dive into the wonderful world of egg poachers.
Counter And Shelf Space
This may seem obvious, but it’s no less important than the other categories here. Sure, there are some free-standing egg poachers out there that look pretty sexy, but you’ve got to ask yourself if you really have the counter space available for it. After all, is it really worth buying a big pretty egg poacher that you need to hide away in a cupboard when you could get a small poacher that doesn’t look like much, but can slip into a drawer and still produce the same gorgeous eggs for a fraction of the price?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best egg poacher?
This is the most obvious and popular question that we hear when the topic of egg poachers comes up. Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer. The truth of the matter is that it all depends on your specific egg poaching needs. So figure out specifically how and when you intend to use your poacher and from there, find the one that best suits your needs.
What is the best way to poach an egg?
Again, unfortunately there’s no one answer to this question. Some prefer a machine that streamlines the process down to the press of a single button. Others like the control that comes from poaching eggs themselves with out the aid of any specific machine or device. Sadly, we can’t provide a specific answer. This one is up to you.
Is it safe to poach an egg in the microwave?
Yes, absolutely. There’s nothing to worry about hear. You won’t end up with a glowing green radioactive egg with three yokes or anything like that. However, the texture of the egg might be slightly different and that could be enough to put some egg lovers off. But at least there are no safety concerns to worry about.
Will large multi-egg poachers cook all the eggs evenly?
Yes, of course. These are carefully machines crafted machines that are designed to cook all of the eggs evenly. There’s nothing to worry about here. The only potential drawback is that you’re not able to personally monitor the eggs as they cook. You’ll have to wait until the cooking time is complete. Those who seek to deliver a certain type of poached egg with a specific texture might find this irritating, but with a little practice they should be able to find the right setting on the machine to get the quality of poached egg that they seek.