PoachPod: Silicone Egg Poachers

There’s more than one way to poach an egg, that’s for sure.

I’m still practicing the whirlpool method, but I took a crack at these silicone PoachPods ($9.95, Amazon.com) from Lamson & Goodnow.

I agree with the recent thumbs-up from The New York Times (subscription required). The eggs come up from the water with a rich flavor since hardly any poaching water mixes in to them.

I made a simple supper by tossing baby arugula with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper and then broke two poached eggs on top, served with sides of blood orange slices and wheat toast.

Poaching in the pod means you must use a pot with a lid. Since silicone doesn’t allow much heat through, the egg is “poached” by both steam and the surrounding water.

I cracked my eggs into the pods and floated them in boiling water for just under six minutes. I wish the package offered better instructions on how to pull the pods out of hot water. Using a ladle works best.

While some users report that the pods do not need to be greased, I disagree. I found that buttering the inside of the pod made it much easier to spoon the egg out in one piece. “Silicone is not Teflon,” as The Times piece said.

The PoachPod is certainly not a must-have, but is fun to experiment with. One cook said to use the PoachPod as a mini-double boiler for chocolate. The manufacture also suggests using them for flan, frittata and other baked goods, but the $5 a pop pods do not have a flat bottom so this doesn’t seem like a great suggestion.

Until I master the whirlpool method, the Poach Pod is a suitable flotation device.