Eggsactly!

Some kitchen gadgets fall into the "that's exactly what I need" category,

and the Egg Cooker by Chef's Choice definitely fits nicely into that niche.

I love eggs in a multitude of ways and was dismayed when they went through that

"eggs are bad for your health" phase. 

When we're traveling, I seek out great breakfast places with names like 

Eggspectations, an out of the way diner that specializes in fluffy, packed with fresh veggies omelettes, or an elegant restaurant where I can spend an exorbitant amount of money on freshly squeezed orange juice and superb Eggs Benedict.

My old electric egg cooker is worn out, and it only had two functions:

soft boil or hard boil.  Even the American Egg Board would tire 

of eggs consistently prepared only two ways!

The sleek, easy to clean design 

(reminding me of the perfect egg or my husband, John's, bald head!)

makes for the perfect countertop addition. When I have a houseful of fussy eaters,

the egg cooker's precision electronic timer allows me to cook seven eggs to varying degrees of "doneness" in the same batch...soft, medium, hard.

There's always one overachieving hen in the crowd!

When I used my old cooker, I had to use an oven mitt to remove the hot eggs when done to prevent them from overcooking. This model has an egg tray with handles that enables me to remove and rinse under cold water to bring directly to the table.

When  I'm feeling ambitious, I can poach three eggs in this cooker's egg poaching tray and set an elegant table for home created Eggs Benedict. 

[Can an electric hollandaise sauce maker be far behind??]

Overall, it's the perfect addition to my kitchen and 

allows me to cook my eggs "just right".

Bev's Bites

While we're on the subject of eggs, egg separators abound but the most foolproof way to separate an egg is with your clean, bare hands. Jewelry free, there are no sharp edges to tear and crack the yolk, and the whites flow freely through your fingers into your bowl. Shells are not recommended for separating as they do contain, 

even after washing, traces of bacteria.

And, I would be remiss if I didn't mention a gift I received from 

a life long New Jersey friend of mine with a zany sense of humor...

an egg separator in the shape of a man's head.

When you separate the egg, the whites come out the nose.

Enough said??!!

As always, shop locally to see if your favorite shop carries any of these products.

Bev Shaffer is a chef, food writer, cookbook author and culinary instructor. She can be reached through her website, www.bevshaffer.com or at bev.foodwithattitude@gmail.com.