Oeuf! These were eggsactly what I was looking for! (Egg Poach Pods)

Member Name: edinburgher

Product:	Egg Poach Pods
Date:	17/06/09 (238 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent, idiot proof way to produce safely cooked and aesthetically pleasing poached eggs

Disadvantages: None

* Les oeufs sont savoureux/Eggs are tasty*

Like Marmite, you either love or hate poached eggs. For me, there are few treats tastier than a large, fresh egg cracked into a pan of gently swirling hot water with a little vinegar. Served on a slice of toast with a pinch of sea salt, a good poached egg is every inch the adult equivalent of egg with toast soldiers.

* Je n'aime pas les cuiseurs électriques/I do not like electric cookers*

When my girlfriend and I moved into our new flat, we were dismayed to see that our landlady had replaced a serviceable gas hob with an electric cooker - apparently for 'safety reasons'. Electric hobs are the poor cousin of the gas hob in the eyes of anyone I've ever met who loves to cook and we were somewhat gutted that we'd effectively have to learn to cook again. Electric hobs are unwieldy beasts, it's very hard to regulate temperature and try as I might, I can never get them fully clean. Before we discovered Poach pods we'd given up on poached eggs, as egg after egg disintegrated into white strands of albumenous gunk.

* Pochez les oeufs/Poach the eggs*

Poach pods - truly silicone superstars - don't really seem up to much on first inspection. Rounded, loosely dome shaped moulds of green silicone, they appeared somewhat uninspired when my girlfriend brought them home from Lakeland (roughly £5 for a pair at time of writing). They are roughly three inches in diameter, relatively thin and feature small holes punched into the extremities (not entirely sure what these are for).

The method for using them is simple:

1.Bring about an inch of water to the boil in a pan
2.Reduce to a simmer
3.Lightly oil the poach pods
4.Crack an egg into each pod
5.Gently place in the simmering water for 4-6 minutes (depending on egg size)
6.Remove from the water with a slotted spoon
7.Loosen the edge of the egg with a teaspoon
8.Pop out of the mould and serve

*Les oeufs sont-ils bons?/Are the eggs good?*

Technically speaking, calling these poach pods is something of a misnomer, as the eggs don't sit in the water. In fact, the cooking method is a combination of poaching, boiling and steaming and the effects are impressive. Although results can vary a little based on the size and freshness of your egg, it is possible to create the full spectrum of poached eggs (from barely set to set but with a runny yolk to firmly set).

I can't complain about these in any way, although the regular shaped eggs you turn out may seem a little artificial compared to those made in the traditional way.

Poach pods aren't particularly expensive, incredibly easy to use, offer consistent results, are very easy to clean and are virtually indestructible. I've no way of testing it, but silicone can withstand temperatures of close to 400 degrees Celsius and these can be used in a microwave to boot.

They are an excellent, idiot proof way to produce safely cooked and aesthetically pleasing poached eggs time after time. If you like poached eggs but can't quite master the technique, I thoroughly recommend picking up a pair of these, leaving you free to focus your culinary energies elsewhere.

*Excusez la traduction/Excuse the translation*

*All translations provided by Babelfish for purely comic reasons - I have very little French...

Summary: At last - a kitchen 'gadget' that won't gather dust