I love poached eggs but rarely cook them as I always end up 'poaching' my saucepan too! Bits of the egg would get stuck on the bottom of the saucepan and they would be the very devil to remove.

At least that was how it used to be before hubby discovered the Poach Pod in a shop in York where he was working. The tag attached to the pod stated that it was 'a modern silicone egg cooking tool' and, since he loves poached eggs too he decided to try the pods.

Who makes Poach Pods?

Well the company is called Fusion Brands which is an American company and they produce a range of silicone baking aids.

How much are they?

They are sold in pairs and ours cost £4.99 for the two.

What do they look like?

They are basically little silicone dishes with three pointed wavy edges with a small holes at each rounded point. They are just the right size in which to fit an egg - no surprise there then! To give you an idea they sit comfortably in the palm of my hand. The ones that we have are green - one dark and one light green - I am not sure whether there are other colours available. They fit nicely inside one another for easy of storage and they are obviously heat resistant.

How do they work?

Well you just boil up the water in the saucepan as usual and reduce it to a simmer. Then you crack an egg into the pod having lightly oiled the pod first - Dave always sprays the pod with Fry Light and that seems to work well.

The Poach Pod then floats in the simmering water and you need to put the lid on the pan. You then just cook the egg for four to six minutes depending on your preference and then remove the whole thing for the pan using a slatted spoon.

To remove the egg from the pod you just run a spoon round the egg to loosen it, turn the silicone pod inside out and gently ease the egg out onto your plate.

Are they just for poached eggs?

According to the instructions they can be used for cooking batter, cakes or frittata. The mixture should be put into the pod, the pod supported during cooking and the recipe instructions followed.

You can also put things into the pod that need to be moulded into that shape. The pods are then chilled in the fridge and the contents removed once set.

We haven't tried any of these so can't comment on the effectiveness but I can't see there being any real problems.

What else do I need to know?

The Poach Pods are really easy to clean - just put them in the washing up bowl with hot soapy water and Bob's your uncle! The saucepan only needs rinsing out so the whole messy cleaning process is avoided.

They can also be washed in a dishwasher - you just pop them on the top shelf and secure them using one of the little holes around the top so that they stay in place whilst being washed.

Don't use any sharp implements or abrasive cleaning pads with these pods or you will rip the silicone.

Don't put the pods directly onto a heat source.

So what is the verdict?

Well I think they are worth every penny! The eggs cook properly and they taste lovely and it is great to be able to have poached eggs without having to mess about cleaning the saucepan afterwards.

Before we had the Poach Pods I often ended up having to boil some water with washing powder in it to get the mess off the base of the saucepan but not anymore!

Recommended by me? You bet they are!