While you can make poached eggs using just a pan of simmering water, it can be a little tricky. I’ve always used an egg poaching pan to make poached eggs. It’s a convenient and super easy way to get something very close to a traditional poached egg that’s almost impossible to mess up.
If you’re looking for an egg poacher, here are some of the best options available in Australia:
The Best Egg Poachers
I’ve included stove top egg poaching pans as well microwave options. There is also an electric option which is handy if you have a lot of eggs.
Avanti Poacher Pan
The Avanti Egg Poacher Pan is available in 2, 4, and 6 egg options. This egg poacher has non-stick cups for easy clean up. The pan is made from Stainless Steel. This egg poaching pan is well made and should last a long time.
Scanpan Impact Poaching Pan
The Scanpan Impact Poaching Pan is the pan I currently use at home. It’s a little bit more expensive than the Avanti pan, but I do think it looks a lot nicer. Functionally though they are exactly the same and will produce the same result.
There are a couple of downsides to the Scanpan. The poaching trays need to be rotated so their knobs are in the centre for the lid to close completely, although it doesn’t really matter if the lid is slightly ajar. And I have lost one of the knobs that screw onto the trays. These unfortunately do come loose. These are minor issues. I’ve had my poaching pan for many years and it’s held up really well.
Décor Microwave Steam Egg Poacher
The Decor egg poacher goes in the microwave. I’ve found that microwave poachers don’t tend to make the same texture as a poached egg and it can get a tad rubbery. It will require some experimentation to get right.
Microwave poachers are super easy and convenient. You can put them in the dishwasher for easy clean up and make a poached egg takes less than 2 mins.
Sunbeam Poach and Boil Egg Cooker
The Sunbeam Poach and Boil is an electric egg cooker that can be used to make poached and boiled eggs. If you’re looking to save money on Gas, this will be cheaper to run but I’d only buy this if you’re having eggs on a regular basis.
Sistema Easy Eggs Microwave Poacher
The Sistema Easy Eggs is a microwave egg cooker. This can be used to make a variety of different types of eggs including poached, omelette and scrambled. Like the Decor poacher it will require a little bit of experimentation to get right. The Sistema Easy Eggs is dishwasher safe.
How to Use an Egg Poaching Pan
- Pour a small amount of water in the bottom the pan. Around 1cm will work fine.
- Grease the poaching trays with a small amount of cooking spray, oil or butter.
- Crack the eggs into the poaching tray.
- Place on stove until cooked.
Poaching Pans cook eggs using steam. You fill the bottom of the pan with a small amount of water. You don’t want to have so much water that the water surrounds the trays. This will boil the eggs as opposed to cooking them with steam.
Make sure you grease the egg trays – even if they are non-stick. Bot the Avanti and Scanpan egg poachers have non-stick trays. But the eggs will still stick. I use a tiny bit of olive oil and some kitchen towel to wipe over the tray and this stops the eggs from sticking. You could also use a little butter or cooking spray.
The trickiest part is getting the timing right. I find the best way to check if the eggs are cooked is by jiggling the pan to see if they are set. They shouldn’t jiggle too much if they are cooked. Once you’ve used the pan a couple of times, you’ll get a better idea of when the eggs are done.
When taking the eggs out of the pan they will be hit. I let the pan sit with the lid off for a minute just to let them cool down. You might need a knife to carefully encourage the egg to drop out of the tray.
