Egg cooking pods: do they meet manufacturers' claims

Abstract

Purpose

Research on the efficiency of non‐traditional cookware is limited. Manufacturers claim that plastic egg cooking pods (Eggies™) are easy to use, offer a non‐stick product release, and create the perfect hard‐cooked egg. This study attempted to replicate consumer cooking conditions through a comparison of eggs cooked in the cooking pods to eggs cooked in a traditional fashion.

Design/methodology/approach

Using two consumer range tops and stainless pans, controlled tests were performed. The results of the tests indicated that egg cooking pods did not produce a better product; they were difficult to use, had poor product release, and were difficult to clean. The products were compared by their visual appeal, and their texture. The pods were then washed and tested for protein residue that could lead to bacterial growth, and potential food‐borne illness in a consumer kitchen.

Findings

The cooked products were placed on clean plates and analyzed by the researcher for visual quality and textural quality, then photographed. Overall, the pod‐cooked egg was an inferior product that was unappealing visually as well as texturally. Optical density (OD) data were utilized to determine the presence of protein residue in the treatments. These data indicate the presence of egg protein remaining on the sterilized O‐rings, male threads, and female threads of the egg pods. Difficulty of use, inability to clean, and harboring of dangerous levels of protein residue negate the viability of this product as tested by the researcher. Despite poor value for consumers, the truly alarming aspect of these studies is the quite real danger of salmonella spp. associated with raw poultry and shell eggs.

Social implications

Salmonella spp. are transmitted through contact with the feces of an infected animal, and shell eggs were identified as a carrier of salmonella in 1988. This fact would appear pertinent to this study. As eggs must pass through a hen's intestinal tract, they are equally susceptible to salmonella spp. as well.

Originality/value

The paper finds that, sold as convenience products that will make consumers' lives easier, these devices rarely deliver an adequate performance. Much as the silicone products listed above, the plastic egg pods failed to release their cooked product. In addition, the non‐traditionally cooked products in all of the studies were inferior to those cooked traditionally.

Citation

Broz, C., Baldock, K. and Blind, B. (2013), "Egg cooking pods: do they meet manufacturers' claims", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 43 No. 3, pp. 261-266. https://doi.org/10.1108/00346651311327918