I will admit to being rather selective when it comes to kitchen gadgets and gimmics. A couple of years ago I saw a product called Eggies on the Home Shopping Network (HSN). I was flipping channels trying to amuse myself while recuperating. I don't shop on HSN but I have bought a couple of items in the "As Seen on TV" sections of some stores. Before saying that items are not a good value on HSN, many kitchen appliances got their commercial start on HSN. A few off the top of my head include: the George Foreman Grill, the Magic Bullet, Veg-o-matic, and FoodSaver. It is a low cost way for inventors to market their creations. Some go onto greatness while others quietly slip away.
Eggies is a system for cooking eggs that involves no peeling after the eggs are cooked. They were invented by Betsy Kaufman, an Edison Nation Inventor. Now when I first saw Eggies I chuckled then forgot about them. A couple of weeks ago our local Home Hardward had Eggies as a special for $14.99 so I decided to try them out.
There were six Eggies in the package. Each Eggie consists of a lid, collar, bottom half and top half. The package also included a free egg separator and instruction sheet. Cook times on on the back of the instruction sheet along with how to cook perfect deviled eggs and egg whites.
Pro: Eggies can be used with whole eggs, egg whites, egg mixtures and egg substitute.
Con: Eggies are plastic and there are only six of them limiting how many boiled eggs you can make at one time.
After washing the Eggies, I prepared them for filling. Each Eggie bottom half needs to be coated with vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray. I used a little butter on a paper towel to wipe each bottom half. I placed the top half into the collar then secured the collar around the bottom and top halves. Then I cracked the eggs into the prepared Eggies. Once the Eggies were filled, I put the lids on them then prepared the saucepan for cooking with the Eggies.
Pro: Filling the Eggies is rather easy.
Con: Assembly took longer than expected and I experienced two leakers.
I filled the saucepan with enough warm water to allow the Eggies to float. I placed the Eggies into the saucepan. They reminded me of fishing bobbers floating around the water. I turned the heat to high and brought the water to a boil then reduced the heat to maintain a low boil and boiled for 15 minutes for hard boiled eggs. When the cook time was finished, I turned off the heat and let sit in the saucepan for 2 minutes. Then I removed the Eggies for cooling.
Con: When I use my regular method for making perfect hard boiled eggs, the water is simply brought to a boil then the heat is turned off completely while the eggs sit in the boiling water. Eggies use energy for the entire cooking period and while it may only be a few cents it is always something to consider in any frugal kitchen.
I removed the Eggies and allowed them to cool on a wood cutting board for 7 minutes. The steam within the Eggies likely continues to cook the eggs so I was concerned the eggs would be tough. I was quite impressed at how quickly the cooked eggs released from the Eggies. They were still hot enough to serve hot as well which was a pleasant surprise.
As I emptied each Eggie, I tossed the pieces into a sink of hot, soapy water for washing. Clean-up was rather easy. I inverted the eggs, flat end down on a plate to further cool before turning them into egg salad.
Pro: Removing the Eggies for cooling was very easy. The cooked eggs released from the Eggies without any sticking.
Eggs cooked in an Eggie have a rather distinctive look with the top end flattened. This can give a unique presentation advantage. I was quite impressed with the fluffiness of the yolk as well. The egg white was not tough or rubbery. I cut one in half for the ultimate taste test. There was no green discolouration around the yolk either. The cooked egg passed the taste test. It was delicious! I turned this batch of Eggies into egg salad for sandwiches.
The next test was the clean-up. Although they are dishwasher safe, I hand washed the Eggies. They cleaned-up without any problems. Once dried I put all the parts into a small plastic tote for storage.
My bottom line: The Eggies are a great alternative way to cook boiled eggs without having to peel the shell. The overall results are considerably better than I expected. They definitely are a nice way to boil eggs for certain applications and I really do like the presentation potential. The Eggie bottoms could also be used as forms for gelatin, ice cubes, ice cream molds and I will likely come up with a few more uses. They will not replace my normal method for hard boiling eggs when making larger batches of egg salad but they did make a nice small size batch of egg salad with very little effort. I can see the potential for using eggs cooked this way then sliced for salads. I would not use them to make deviled eggs although there are instructions for doing so. The reason being, deviled eggs are generally made using whole boiled eggs that are cut in half longitudinally. The Eggies method for deviled eggs means using a whole egg rather than a half egg which would be fine for a dinner appetizer but impractical for making a larger number of deviled eggs.
On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate Eggies:
- ease of use - 9
- practicality - 7
- cost - 6
- versatility - 8
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