Calphalon Egg Poacher

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There are probably hundreds of ways to cook an egg. But nothing is more delectable and flexible for me than a poached egg. Because unlike hard boiled or fried eggs, you can set them up to explode with a myriad of flavors. To poach an egg you simply have to drop the contents (without the shell, mind you) into boiling liquid until cooked. Now here lies the secret to why poached eggs can become the main ingredient in a gourmet dish; you can substitute the liquid with anything from traditional stock or broth to fruit juices and milk. But there are caveats to making this delectable treat, the biggest one being how to keep the egg whole while submerged in simmering liquid as the bubbles tend to break it apart. To perfect the art, yes it is an art; you need a lot of practice, and a lot of eggs. To make life easier, you need something like the Calphalon Egg Poacher.

There are many egg poachers for sale on the market for as little as $10, but the quality can be questionable. The Calphalon egg poacher, however, is an exemption. It has six perforated nonstick cups which cook the eggs uniformly while maintaining an attractive round shape. The difference between using the Calphalon egg poacher compared to traditional poaching is that this utensil cooks the egg with steam. Each of the six hard anodized cups has perforations on the bottom of the cup. These cups are then suspended on a rig which acts as a cover to the skillet. The skillet is filled with the liquid of your choice and then set to boil. While it is boiling and the steam is passing through the cups, you can then add your eggs on the cups and they will be suspended by the vapor.

The recommended cooking time is three minutes but that already makes the eggs hard and rubbery. If you prefer your eggs a bit runny or soft, you could lower this time to two and a half minutes. When the eggs are cooked you may proceed to remove the cups from the suspension rig and set them aside to cool for a while. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, you may remove them from the cups just by shaking them off, since the cups are nonstick, this is fairly easy. However, sometimes you come across a stubborn egg (there is always one in every bunch), you can scoop it off with a spoon. Serve as desired and you’re done. There is one thing to note when using these kind of poachers though, since it is cooked by steam and not in water as opposed to the traditional way of cooking, the flavor infused in the egg may not be as much as can be expected from the traditional way. But you have to admit, its way easier. And since you will usually need the eggs in their natural flavor, this is not a deal breaker.

So to summarize it:

Pros: The Calphalon Egg Poacher is quite easy to use and you don’t need actual practice because you can get it right the first time you go. It is also very easy to clean and you can use the skillet for regular cooking use.

Cons: The infused flavor may not be at par with the traditional method of cooking. And at $49 it’s a tad more expensive than the competition. But such is a price you have to pay for quality.