Types of Egg Poachers and How to Use Them

One of the tastiest egg recipes is poached eggs that is pretty easy to make, if you are well versed with the right techniques. In case you are not aware of this dish, a poached egg is an egg which is cooked with the process of poaching or cooking in boiling water.

Since no oil or fat substances are used while making this recipe, poached eggs are considered healthy. To make this breakfast item without much hassle, you can buy a egg poacher. Let's see what it is.

• Silicon Egg Poachers: These are available in single or silicon poacher sets. The biggest advantage of these poachers is that they are really easy to clean and the quality of poached eggs is also pretty good.

• Stainless Steel Egg Poachers: This is probably the most popular type if you are looking for stove-top poachers. Since these do not come with nonstick coating, you will need to use cooking spray to remove the poached eggs.

• Electric Egg Poachers: There is a wide range available in these poachers considering style, price, and size. As the name suggests, these use electricity; hence, you don't need a microwave or a stove for poaching eggs with them.

• Microwave Egg Poachers: Poaching eggs in a microwave has its own advantages. These poacher sets are available with 2-4 egg poaching settings.
• Nonstick Egg Poachers: These are the most popular types of poachers, since they provide the best cooked eggs; being nonstick, they are easy to clean as well.

Gather eggs, water, and an egg poacher pan. Once you gather all these materials, fill the bottom of the poacher pan with water. Then place the egg cups on top of the pan in such a way that their bottoms are in the water. Then crack the eggs carefully and place one egg in each cup.

Normally, a poacher pan has four cups; if you don't need all the cups, then fill the empty ones with water. Once the water starts boiling, cover the pan with a lid and let the eggs cook for about 2-3 minutes. The type of poacher you use, will determine the time you need for the process to complete.

If you're using a microwave poacher, spray its bottom with cooking spray and then cover it up with water. Crack eggs in each section of the poacher and cover it up with a lid. Lastly, you need to microwave the eggs on high for about a minute. Remove the cooked eggs as well as the water in order to avoid sogginess.

If you are using a silicon poacher, then you need to simply float the egg-filled silicon poacher into a water-filled pan and let the eggs cook for 2-3 minutes. You need to follow almost the same instructions for stainless steel and electric poachers. Additional instructions are written on the user's manual that comes with the poachers.