The BIA Egg Coddler - a doddle to coddle

One of the perks of working for a cookware shop is being able to test some of the wonderful stock. One of our newest products is a modern twist on a design that has been around since the late 1800s – the egg coddler. I’ve always liked eggs. As a child, scrambled eggs on toast (tommy ketchup if having on its own, brown sauce if accompanied by sausages, bacon and mushrooms – them’s the rules!) or boiled eggs with toasted soldiers for dipping, were a weekly supper staple. Fast-forward to adulthood and I’ve substituted frittatas for boiled eggs with the occasional fried egg thrown in after an evening of over-imbibing, otherwise nothing much has changed. But, I’ve never tried a coddled egg, so I was intrigued to see what the new range of egg coddlers from BIA International would bring to the table

What is an egg coddler?

Egg coddlers have been around since the late 1800s. Made of porcelain, they resemble a large egg cup or handle-less cup with a stainless steel lid, often with a lifting ring on top. They are used to lightly poach (or coddle) an egg with the added advantage of allowing you to add extra ingredients and seasoning whilst the egg is being cooked. Once cooked to your liking the eggs can be eaten straight from the coddler.

How to use the egg coddler

The process of coddling an egg is very straightforward. First you need to grease the inside of the coddler. You can use butter or oil. This helps to stop the egg from sticking to the inside of the coddler as well as adding flavour. Crack one or two eggs into the coddler (the fresher the better, ideally at room temperature) and add any additional ingredients or seasoning (see recipe ideas below) before screwing on the lid – but not too tightly. Place the coddler into a saucepan of lightly boiling water making sure that the water goes about two thirds of the way up the coddler. Cook (or coddle) the egg(s) to your desired firmness – between five and nine minutes – before removing using the lifting ring. Hold the base of the coddler with a tea towel and carefully unscrew the lid. You can then serve your coddled egg directly from the coddler. If you find the egg is too runny for your liking just replace the lid and pop back into the water for a couple more minutes.

My first attempt at coddling

There are six different designs in BIA’s new range of egg coddlers - two contemporary white designs (fluted and dotted), three coloured and white polka-dot designs and a Clare Mackie ‘Raining Eggs’ design. I plumped for the blue and white polka-dot version. The coddler is capacious enough to take two large eggs plus extra ingredients, so I went for the two egg option. After setting a saucepan of water onto the hob to heat-up, I lightly coated the interior of the coddler with olive oil, wiping out any excess with some kitchen roll. I cracked the eggs into the coddler, and decided to keep things simple by just popping in some chopped ham and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. After lightly screwing on the lid I carefully lowered the egg coddler into the lightly boiling water and eagerly set the timer for eight minutes. As soon as the timer rang I lifted out the egg coddler using the lifting ring and a fork, and with the aid of a tea towel, unscrewed the lid. The eggs were still very runny, so I returned the egg coddler to the saucepan for a couple more minutes. Again, the eggs looked a little underdone, so I gave them a quick mix around with a spoon and returned to the saucepan for a final couple of minutes. This seemed to do the trick, although the end result looked slightly more ‘scrambled egg’ than ‘lightly coddled!’ Anyway the proof is in the eating, and it tasted delicious. I’m sure that after a few tweaks here and there – higher water level and longer initial cooking time as I was using two eggs – I should be able to master the perfect coddled egg. Although it says that the egg coddler is dishwasher safe, I chose to hand wash it in hot soapy water which removed any remaining egg with ease. [gallery type="slideshow" size="full" ids="346,348,347,345"]

Recipe/flavour ideas

There are hundreds of different flavour combinations that you can add when coddling an egg. Follow the same coddling method as described above. Because of the short cooking time, it is probably a good idea to pre-cook any meat that’s not cured, prior to adding. Here are a few ideas that readily come to mind –

• Smoked salmon
• Bacon (cooked) & mushrooms
• Ham & cheese
• Flaked fish and a touch of curry powder (think kedgeree!)
• Asparagus & Parma ham
• A touch of paprika
• Feta, capers and anchovies
• Chorizo cubes (cooked), peppers and chillies (spicy Mexican!)
• Chives
• Salt & pepper
• Chopped spring onions
• Chopped avocado

You can also get creative by layering your ingredients and eggs or try adding a splash of cream for a rich, decadent finish.

The verdict

Would I use it again? Definitely. As I write, I’m thinking which combination to try next (for reference I’m edging towards the chorizo, peppers and chilli option). It is ideal for making a quick and healthy breakfast or light snack and the fact that you cook and eat from the same item cuts down on the washing up which is an added bonus. An egg coddler would also make a great alternative gift for the non-chocolate eater this Easter. To view the full range on our website - Click Here