The EggGenie is cute but give me Henrietta the Hen Instead
By Dr. Ann
@drannhh (15219)
United States
October 31, 2009 2:17pm CST
Or maybe this should be in my note to Santa. Well, I bought a dozen eggs and did not eat them all in time to pack and go home from my week up here at the cottage. Seeing the EggGenie, I said "Aha!" bought it to facilitate hard boiling the left over eggs as they make tasty snacks along the way. HB eggs keep better than raw ones, at least in the shell, which is harder to break after they are cooked.
Since the Genie has a poaching insert I decided to make a little snack, too. Well, the poached eggs came out ok, but I have a few complaints about this cooker:
1) No on/off switch. I had to yank the cord out of the wall to stop it.
2) The poached egg cups do not hold an extra large egg without spilling over!
3) My eggs were done before the buzzer went off when I tried to poach them.
4) The poaching insert is too hard to clean.
I don't mind that it only hard boils 6 eggs at a time, but having to unplug it between batches if you wanted to cook a dozen is ridiculous.
On the plus side, it was inexpensive, cute, and takes up little room. Functionally, it is about equivalent to Henrietta the Hen but she is cuter. I'll keep this one for the cottage, but it is easier to poach in a skillet, and at home I'll want a cooker with more safety features, starting with an on/off switch.
If you like this sort of gadget, here is a machine that makes your own egg McMuffins at home--heats the sausage, nukes the egg, and toasts the muffin:
http://www.comforthouse.com/blender1.html
Would you ever consider buying one of those? What is the silliest gadget you ever bought? What is your favorite way to hard boil eggs?
6 people like this
8 responses
@GardenGerty (157552)
• United States
1 Nov 09
Silliest thing I bought was a cooker to turn various batters into tart shells. I have used it maybe twice, but I HAD to have it. I just bring eggs to a boil for three minutes, turn them off, let them set for fifteen. Usually makes an excellent egg. I have a microwave egg cooker that ends me up with little round cooked eggs, they fit wonderfully on an English muffin. I actually have put egg in one cup, hash in the other and had hash and eggs, in one minute.
2 people like this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
1 Nov 09
I bought one of those tart things too, and with the same results. Whatever was I thinking?! But on the other hand, some of those microwave cooking gadgets are very functional. I use my Nordic-ware omelette pans for LOTS of different quick snacks, even cornbread and dumplings.
1 person likes this
@aseretdd (13730)
• Philippines
31 Oct 09
Reminds me of the electric kettle my father bought abroad... it did not have an on/off feature so it was quite a pain to use... but since the device was quite new to us... we were at an awe everytime we used it... that was like 20 years ago... and now... i don't think i would ever get one without the necessary safety feature...
The EggGenie is quite the gadget... i have never seen one... but maybe i have... i just didn't know what it was...
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
1 Nov 09
I do have a few appliances without built in switches, but I bought little switch outlet things at the hardware store that you plug into the wall and then plug the appliance into that to switch it on and off. They cost about $3 each, but as you say, the safety feature is necessary.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
16 Nov 09
I'm not much on most so called handy kitchen gadgets. To me they are more work then they are worth especially when it comes to clean up.The Henrietta the hen does look cute. My granddaughter did talk me into to one of those sandwiches makers. she just had to have it. Well she used it once. You'r supposed to be able to make these wonderful omelets and great sandwiches.
Well you have made me hungry for a poached egg. so that's what I'm having for supper. I bring some water to a boil add a splash of vinegar and then the egg. I'll have some pumpernickel toasted bread with it
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
16 Nov 09
I did the same thing with a sandwich maker. It looked so cute, but turned out to be more trouble than it was worth. Now YOU are making ME hungry! I am going to go grind of some 7-grain breakfast flaked cereal into flour and make more onion rolls. I made some yesterday but they seem to have evaporated. I keep looking at the empty bowl and wondering "Where did the go?" Probably the next time I try to put on my skinny jeans I will find out.
1 person likes this
@KATRINKA (1624)
• United States
31 Oct 09
It sounds cute, but too complicated for me. I like kitchen gadgets, but I like simple ones, like wisks and nice pans. The silliest gadget is not one I've bought, but one that was given to my sweetie as a gift. It is one of those pasta tubes. You put boiling water in the plastic tube and put your pasta in it, then cover it. It's more of a safety hazard than being useful. It took him an hour and a half to get the past close to al dente, because he had to keep heating up the water. I like making pasta the good old fashioned way, in a big pot of boiling water with sea salt and olive oil. I like to boil my eggs the same way. Well, not boil. I learned how to hard cook eggs without getting that nasty green rim around the yolks. For me, the simpler the better.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
31 Oct 09
I totally agree about the pasta tubes, as they are in my view worthless for cooking, but very nice for storing dry beans, pasta, and pretzels. I use the flexible covers that come on tins of nuts or those round boxes of Frito's scoops from the dollar stores as lids instead of the ones that came with the pasta tube set. The shorter pasta tube is cool for making jello using the microwave, as it doesn't splash, and goes in the dishwasher for cleanup.
Mmmmm, sea salt and olive oil. I make my pasta in the pressure cooker. Hah! /they say not to, but I do it anyway.
1 person likes this
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
16 Nov 09
That is odd I answered this earlier today but my answer is gone.
Anyways, I have never used such a gadget, I would not mind having one, and this is somthing I would probably ask for for Christmas or something. I don't think I would go out and purchase it for myself.
My husband got me a rice cooker for Christmas last year, I didn't think I would use it but I actually love it.
I can't think of a silly gadget I have bought but I did recently buy that Arm & Hammer Bathroom cleaner kit. That did not work well at all and was more frustrating than anything.
I hard boil my eggs the old fashioned way in a pot of water.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
16 Nov 09
Thank you for making the effort to come back and repost your comment! I agree that a rice cooker is very much worth having, especially the ones with removable nonstick bowls that come out for easy washing.
I will heed your warning and stay away from that bathroom cleaner kit. 
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
31 Oct 09
I never have seen an egggenie, myself, but it looks so cute in the picture. It looks like you can toast bread at the same time. I think it's neat that you can hard boil six eggs at once with one. I love boiled eggs and I especially like boiled egg sandwiches. Yes, I would consider buying something like this if I had the money. I can't think of any silly gadgets I have ever bought. The only way I know how to boil an egg is ten minutes on the stove,
! It takes so much time that way! Kathy.
! It takes so much time that way! Kathy.
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
2 Nov 09
I seem to remember seeing one of these in a catalog...I'm glad I didn't decide to get one. I looked at the McMuffin thing and it is cute but for that price I'd use a small pan and a toaster to make it. I guess if you have the extra money to spend it's nice but I always look for ways to do the same thing without buying special equipment.
[b]!!Happy Turkey Day!!
~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~
**STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS**[/b]
1 person likes this
@VANILLAREY (1470)
• India
13 Nov 09
I have not seen such a gadget/appliance in use. We usually boil the egg in a vessel. We usually prepare scrambled eggs.
1 person likes this
