I find a spider works just fine for poaching and keeping the egg intact. $27 for a spoon just to poach eggs is kinda redonkulous.

Couldn't you just use a sifter then? crak the egg in the siefter, lets the flimsy whites leak out then lower the sifter straight in your boiling water?

add a little vinegar in a pot of water and crack an egg in there carefully. thats all you have to do.

I wouldn't pay that much for the spoon, but I found a nice large slotted spoon with a deep bowl at my local restaurant supply store a few weeks back for a realistic price and brought it home. It does indeed make much nicer and cleaner poached eggs.

@dogg: as for acidulating the water, that has always been my go-to technique but this kicked the crap out of it. Seriously. And you don't even have to be especially dainty when putting the egg into the water once the outer white has been removed.

A sifter or spider is too fine an opening to let the white through; you really want a spoon with fairly large holes.

@Scordo all we're doing is covering it - we thought it was an interesting technique.

And it's hardly an ad, especially when we poke fun at the price. Sponsored/ad posts are always clearly marked, and will always continue to be. I'm surprised anyone would think this was an ad.

I like Michael Ruhlman and I like what he's done for cooking so even if his spoon is overpriced, I still hope he sells a bunch. He's a good guy.

-M

I also think that a strong tag wasn't closed on this article - everything's bold.

Sounds like a good idea, without the special $27 spoon. I loathe vinegar in poached eggs. It totally overwhelms the eggs.

My mom has a genius insert for one of her pans that makes beautiful like-poached eggs. Plus, they always cook in a gob of butter so they taste extra good.

I think I read somewhere that Ruhlman had the spoons made himself and I imagine that is where the hefty price tag comes from. I have recently fallen in love with the poached egg and the inner and outer white tip is fantastic.

The older the egg, the runnier the white.

Shake the egg gently before buying, if you feel the yolk shaking inside, it is not as fresh as it should be.

And perforated kitchen spoons had been on the market for ages. For a tenth of the price.

They made fun of the price AND it's ridiculously easy to find big metal perforated spoons, especially if you have the magical internet box to order off of. For this purpose it doesn't even have to be metal - run down to your local cheap-market (Walmart, TJ-Max, whatever) and buy a plastic one for $3.

Relax, folks, not everyone sharing content on the internet is out to suck your precious money blood. :P

It's a good tip for some, I've certainly never heard it before.

While I won't be rushing out to buy this specific perforated spoon, it is a fantastic idea! Something I will have to try with a spoon I already have at home.
Thanks for the Idea!

Who pays $27 for a slotted spoon???!!!

I have to defend both Michael Ruhlman and his Badass spoon. (we are not friends, I don't know him, and yes, I have this spoon)

While yes, there are plenty of perforated spoons out on the market for much less cash, this one I found to be different. First off, it is made of very heavy steel, with a nice long handle. The heft makes it comfortable, and also helps to keep it cool while in use. The length makes it a very useful tool especially for those of us who like to cook large quantities in deep pots.

But in terms of egg poaching, what makes it different from your usual slotted spoon are two very distinct features. One, the bowl is much more rounded and has a deeper profile, which truly cradles the egg, and prevents it from slipping off the way eggs can do in a flatter profile spoon. And the perforations are slightly smaller, and more well-spaced than I have found in other spoons, meaning that you don't accidentally end up with just an egg yolk in your spoon.

$27 is an investment for any kitchen tool. But this is not some cheap item stamped out by the millions. This is a high quality tool of exceptional design, being produced in limited quantities and promoted by the man who helped create it.

I paid full price happily for mine because my fiance is a major poached-egg guy, and I know that this tool will be in our arsenal getting good use in a variety of ways for the rest of our lives. Would I recommend it for everyone? Of course not. If you don't make a lot of poached eggs, for which this was designed, then a much less expensive tool will serve you fine.

I am glad that people like Michael Ruhlman are putting quality products out in the world for home cooks like me. He sees a problem in his own kitchen or cooking and works with designers to see if he can fix it or make it better. And he isn't some celebrity hack slapping their name on cheaply made and mostly useless stuff all over the stores and magazines. Unless you read blogs like this, or Michael's or follow people like me on Twitter, you are unlikely to even know about this product.

I think we should get back to the age of buying high quality items that last a lifetime, instead of the cheap versions that have to be replaced every couple of years. And if you totally disagree and want to tell me so, pop over to my blog www.thepolymathchronicles.blogspot.com or follow me on twitter @staceyballis and tell me so....always up to hear the other side of the story!

@Scordo I actually really appreciated this post! I don't think it was suggesting that you buy his spoon in particular, since Emma did mention that there are similar spoons being sold in kitchen supply stores (for I imagine much less). Like you, I already have a similar spoon, but the idea that I might use it for poached eggs never crossed my mind. But now I know! :)

Badass Bad deal! This is nothing but a perforated ladle and definitely not worth $$..will join the ranks of the many , one act tricks in the kitchen , so why bother?

@Faith Durand
"Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to purchase or take some action upon products, ideas, or services." -wikipedia entry on advertising

I still love the microwave technique that doesn't require any spoons.

I have a slotted ladle that looks almost exactly like this spoon, and I love poached eggs but fail consistently at them. I'm going to give this a try tonight. Poached eggs over sauteed mustard greens sounds like the perfect meatless friday dinner.

I tried this today (with my cheapo slotted spoon, not this one), and it was a total fail. The entire white separated from the yolk quickly. The eggs were fresh, so I don't think they were the problem. I'll just stick with the dash of vinegar and gentle handling approach in the future.

@deelw, despite what the previous poster said, fresh eggs are actually harder to poach properly. They are moister, which in this case makes them more difficult to handle. Slightly older eggs will be more viscous - moisture evaporates through the shell over time. IMO, this makes them easier to poach - I try to only use eggs that are at least 2 weeks old for poaching.

That said, Ruhlman's tip is new to me, and I'm looking forward to trying it!

Thanks, marisab - I'll have to try it again with older eggs!