The Best Egg Poachers, According to Testing

The OXO poacher is a good pick for an easy assist. Unlike others I tested, it's not a poaching cup but rather a funnel that connects to a little chamber that helps shape and contain your egg while it cooks. The perforated bottom of the hourglass-shaped device goes into the water, and then you slip an egg through the top part. The wide mouth makes it easy to add the egg.

The wispier egg whites float through the holes or up to the top (it's easy to skim them here) while the bell-shaped bottom keeps the yolk and the bulk of the egg white in place. Thanks to the design, the result looks like a traditional poached egg.

One caveat: The poachers are somewhat large so you'll need a sizable pan if you want to cook more than one or two eggs. And because the fill line is marked on the upper cup, it can require a lot of water to fill a larger pan, which means it can be a bit slower to get the water to a simmer.

That said, the poachers do collapse, so they're easy to store. The set comes with just two, but OXO states that you can remove the poacher after 30 seconds and reposition it to start a new egg, and I found that true in my testing. So you can cook multiple eggs at once without requiring a separate device for each.

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If you own an Our Place Always Pan, this egg poaching insert is a no-brainer, but it can also work with similar-size pans (10.5-inch and 2.5 to 3 quarts with a tall enough lid) that can support the tray that holds four silicone cups. I tested the egg poaching insert with the brand's new Titanium Always Pro Pan.

I loved the foolproof method of bringing the water to a boil, reducing to a simmer when adding a splash of vinegar (a common technique for helping to cook the egg) and then simply cutting the heat and covering. The results are similar to traditional poached eggs thanks to the insert's perforated design that lets the wispy whites float away — though take note that some do cook onto the outside of the cup, so you might need to scrape them off to release the egg.

The tray's handles made it easy to remove the cups collectively after cooking. I appreciated the design, but it does make the whole thing bulkier to store than the other models I tested. The cups drained well, but I found it helpful to transfer the egg to a paper-towel-lined plate for additional drying before serving.

Demeyere has created a simple and effective pan for those who love a poached egg (and don't mind a very uniform shape). I like that it's an oven-, induction- and dishwasher-safe 1.5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid that you can use even without the insert. The small size means water reaches the proper temperature quickly.

The poaching insert, which includes four nonstick cups, keeps everything tidy; the whole egg stays contained in the cup, so there's no need to strain your eggs or clean any stray egg whites after cooking.

One downside is that you have to arrange the cups in a specific way so that the lid will fit, but it's very simple to adjust. It produced nicely poached eggs that were easy to remove, thanks to the recommendation that you brush each cup with a little oil. Even the insert itself is easy to remove because it has a center ring you can grab to lift.

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✔️ Material: By and large, egg poachers are either metal or silicone. Metal poachers are generally part of a pan, which makes them durable and familiar to use. Silicone cups are lightweight and easy to store — and if they are not perforated, they can be used as dessert molds or for other purposes — but we did notice that some impart an off-flavor.

✔️ Style: While there are a few styles of egg poachers — including bags, which we did not test — two common types are perforated cups and solid cups.

• Perforated cups mimic traditional poaching most closely, because the egg is surrounded by the water more fully. They also allow the watery egg white to escape (if you have not strained the egg first), and they create a more standard shape on the cooked egg.
• Solid cups save the need to strain the egg, because they keep the whole package together. They're easy to load, but they do yield a less-traditional shape, since the egg takes the shape of the cup.

Sarah Gregory is a deputy editor in the Good Housekeeping Institute. She conducted the testing for these egg poachers. She has been cooking professionally since 2017 and holds a certificate in professional culinary arts from the International Culinary Center (now the Institute of Culinary Education).