The 8 Absolute Best Uses For Your Egg Cooker
There are some kitchen appliances that seem useless until you have them and try them out for yourself. Egg cookers are the perfect example. Of course, you can always just throw your eggs in a pot and boil them, but get an egg cooker, and you'll see what all the hype is about. It's exceedingly easy to make eggs this way, and you don't even have to keep an eye on a pot to make sure it doesn't boil over.
When you first get your egg cooker, you're probably going to want to stick to the basics and find a few different ways to cook your eggs. But don't stop there. There are so many ways to use your egg cooker — get a little creative, and you'll see that it's an appliance you can use for way more than just hard-boiled eggs. We've compiled a list of some of the best uses for your egg cooker so you can make the most of your kitchen purchase. Try these fun and easy ideas, or start experimenting for yourself and see what else you can make in your egg cooker.
Make soft-boiled eggs
So, what's the appeal of making your soft-boiled eggs in an egg cooker? Anyone who's ever tried to make the perfect jammy eggs knows that it can be really difficult to soft boil an egg perfectly. Sometimes, it comes out too cooked, and the yolk turns from that lovely, jammy consistency into a hard, chalky, tennis ball-like situation. Other times, the whites of the egg are still jiggly and you're left with an oozing mess on your plate.
That's where an egg cooker comes in. It's a much more reliable way to cook your eggs, and when it comes to soft-boiled eggs, that's especially important. You'll want to read your specific egg cooker's instruction manuals to determine how much water you'll need in the appliance and how long you should cook your eggs to achieve the yolk consistency you're going for.
If you don't want to second-guess how long you should boil your eggs, an egg cooker is probably exactly what you need.
Cook hard-boiled eggs
Not everyone is a soft-boiled egg kind of person, and that's okay! If you prefer your eggs on the firmer, more substantial side, then you're probably wondering how you can more easily hard-boil your eggs. Although hard-boiled eggs are probably a little bit less tricky than their soft-boiled counterparts, it's still not entirely simple to cook the egg all the way through without overcooking them and leaving them too firm. By allowing your eggs to cook for a specified amount of time in your egg cooker, you'll be able to achieve the exact texture you're looking for in your hard-boiled eggs — without having to watch the stove for several minutes. Of course, you'll need to check your specific egg cooker's instructions to figure out exactly how long you should cook your hard-boiled eggs.
We also love this method because it's a lot easier on the cleanup front. First of all, it's less likely that the eggs are going to crack — that's a lot more likely if you're boiling your eggs in a pot. Secondly, all you have to do is wipe down your egg cooker when you're done. Who knew it could be so simple to make a great breakfast?
Poach your eggs
Boiled eggs may seem like the obvious choice when you get your hands on an egg cooker, but that doesn't mean you should stop there. With a lot of egg cookers on the market, you can make eggs in a wide variety of ways, almost totally negating the need to turn on your stove first thing in the morning. In fact, one of our favorite ways to use an egg cooker is by utilizing the poach feature. Poaching eggs is a notoriously difficult task, especially if you haven't tried it before. It can often make a big mess and leave you with nothing more than a pot of eggy water.
That's why you should give the poach feature on your egg cooker a try. There's usually a separate tray that you'll use for this process. Just break your eggs into the tray, add the water, and turn the appliance on. Your eggs should be done within a matter of minutes. We love that you can make several poached eggs this way with almost no effort on your part. And since it's such a healthy way to eat eggs, it's one of our favorite go-to breakfasts when we want something filling and nutritious.
Make an omelet
There are some egg cookers out there that mostly just focus on cooking soft- and hard-boiled eggs, but we love the ones that have more functionalities. Perhaps your best bet is finding an egg cooker that allows you to make omelets as well. Often, these omelets will be smaller than what you might make if you were to use a regular pan on the stove, but since it's so much easier, we don't mind making smaller omelets with our egg cooker and then just doubling the recipe.
First, you'll crack your egg into the omelet pan provided, then add the water to the machine. Feel free to get creative here and add other ingredients to your omelet. We love starting out with some scallions and cooked bacon, but cheese, cooked sausage, and salad greens can also be a great start if you're searching for inspiration. Will these be the absolute best omelets you've ever tried? Maybe not. But considering the fact that they're so easy to make, it's still one of our favorite ways to use our egg cooker.
Try scrambled eggs
If you happen to have an egg cooker that comes with an omelet tray, then you may be surprised to find out that you can actually make scrambled eggs in your appliance as well. We love scrambled eggs first thing in the morning, but unfortunately, they can be messy when you cook them on the stove. By completing this task in your egg cooker, you'll get the chance to enjoy one of your favorite ways to cook eggs without all the messy cleanup afterward.
Basically, you'll start by doing exactly what you would do if you were to make an omelet: Break the eggs into the dish and then add water to your egg cooker. Now is also the time to add any other ingredients you want in your scrambled eggs. Don't forget to season them as well — keep it simple with salt and black pepper, or make things a bit more interesting with the addition of chili flakes, soy sauce, or even some mayo. We like throwing in a splash of milk as well. Once the eggs are done cooking, you can scramble them up in the dish and then plate and serve them. So simple!
Steam fresh fish
We've already covered all the different ways you can make eggs in your egg cooker, but did you know that you can use it for cooking a variety of other foods as well? One example may surprise you: fish. Yes, it's completely possible to make steamed fish in your egg cooker. We love this hack because it can make throwing a meal together at the end of a long day so much easier. If you don't already have a steamer at home, this is a quick workaround to ensure you can always enjoy fresh fish at a moment's notice.
All you have to do is prepare your fish as you normally would when steaming it: Add whatever flavors or seasonings that sound best to you, and then place it in your egg cooker. Add water to your egg cooker, turn the appliance on, and let it do all the work for you. If your egg cooker doesn't come with instructions for how to cook food like fish, you may want to cut into your fish to ensure it's cooked the first time you try this method out.
Steam your veggies
Just like you can steam fish in your egg cooker, you can also make steamed veggies. Steamed veggies are difficult to make without a steamer, so using an egg cooker is an easy way to get the job done quickly and without much of a mess. Plus, we love this method because it's so, so simple. All you have to do is start with your veggies. You can use whatever you have on hand — fresh veggies will often offer more crispness, but frozen veggies are more convenient and can turn out delicious as well. Before you put them in the egg cooker, make sure you add some seasoning. Then, add water to your appliance and turn it on.
You'll have to adjust the cooking time depending on what you're making. For example, if you decide to steam broccoli or carrots, you'll likely have to cook your veggies longer than you would if you were steaming kale or bok choy. Check how firm your veggies are before you take them out of the egg cooker to make sure you've cooked them to the proper level, and then sit down for a healthy dinner.
Cook dumplings
There are few foods as perfect as dumplings. It's a little package of delicious ingredients all mixed together, and you can eat it in just a few bites. You may assume that you need to get a steamer if you're going to cook dumplings at home, but we're happy to tell you that you can get the job done even if you only have an egg cooker on hand. Because egg cookers work by steaming your eggs, the same principle applies to dumplings as well. Just place them in the egg cooker, add the water, set the timer, and you'll have your dumplings in no time.
We love using this method when we're feeling lazy and want to make frozen dumplings. All you have to do is take them out of the freezer, pop them in the egg cooker, and start eating. But if you're trying to flex your culinary skills, you can also make your dumplings from scratch before cooking them in your egg cooker. It's up to you!