Nordic Ware Microwave Egg Steamer

I included this egg cooker in my holiday wishlist, and then I decided to make my wish come true. I mean, it was under $10, so it wasn't that much of a splurge.

This microwave hard-boiled egg cooker lets you cook the eggs without piercing the egg or yolk (which can explode in a microwave). The deal is that the egg compartment is shielded with aluminum, so the eggs don't actually get micro-cooked. The water in the bottom gets heated to boiling and the eggs are steamed, just like what I normally do on the stove.

I cooked my first batch of 4 eggs right after the cooker arrived. The instructions said to cook the egss for 8 minutes for in 1000 watt oven, which is what I did. But that doesn't account for high altitude, so my eggs weren't quite done. Oopsie.

The eggs were cooked through enough to eat, but the center wasn't that flaky yellow like you'd want for deviled eggs, which is what I usually prefer. They peeled just as easily as other steamed eggs.

This thing is a lot smaller than it looks on the amazon page, so it's not like a giant soccer ball. Cleanup is basically a rinse unless an egg cracks - which can happen no matter how you cook them.

So far, so good. I'm going to be experimenting until I get exactly the right cooking time for hard-boiled and soft-boiled eggs, which will take just a few more tries. But at least this is faster than my usual steaming method. I'll still steam eggs on the stove if I need a dozen, which doesn't happen often. Four or fewer eggs are pretty much all I ever need. Yup, I'll be keeping this for sure.

Who's it for: People who like cooked eggs that are easy to peel.

Pros: Works really well. Fast.

Cons: It cooks 4 eggs at a time, maximum.

Wishes: I wish I found this sooner!

Source: I bought this.