An egg cooker is a small countertop appliance that allows you to cook eggs in a multitude of ways, including hard-boiled for salads or deviled eggs, poached for eggs benedict, or scrambled. The best part is that the entire process is hands-free, allowing you to focus on something else in the kitchen. This is extremely helpful for busy parents who want to give themselves and their kids a nutritious breakfast or snack but don’t want to stand over a stove. The appliance is also good for those who may not have a full kitchen at their home or may not want to cook a complicated meal for themselves.  But with all the latest models now out there, how is one to choose? For starters, “a stainless steel exterior and a flat stainless steel heating plate are the main important factors I look for,” says Nitin Bali, pastry chef at The Langham in Chicago. He also looks at the size of the device compared to his available counter space and whether it has an automatic shut-off setting and other helpful advanced features (like overcooking protection). To see if our top picks pass muster, we had our writer and home cook, Jacqueline Weiss, put each of them to the test using these criteria. She also looked at the flavor of the cooked eggs and how easy each cooker was to clean. The Cuisinart Egg Central took the top place slot because it can cook 10 eggs at a time and it has an alarm that lets you know when the eggs are ready. Here are a few of the best egg cookers to try, complete with our home tester’s findings, to help you find the right one to simplify your morning. What We Don’t Love: Doesn’t have an automatic turn-off, lid doesn’t snap or secure into place, doesn’t have a “cook and look” lid The Cuisinart egg cooker can cook up to 10 eggs at a time with its two tiers and can be set to prepare soft, medium, or hard yolks. While cooking eggs, the front display will be lit by a blue LED light, and you will hear an audible alert when the eggs are done. The package includes a 6-ounce (180 mL) measuring cup and piercing pin. Both of these items will help to evenly cook the eggs without overcooking, whether you’re boiling, poaching, or making an omelet. While this machine has no automatic shut-off feature, Jacqueline gave the Cuisinart points for its timer, which goes off when the eggs are done cooking. However, “it doesn’t line up with the timing on the guide in the box,” she observed, but her boiled eggs came out fine regardless. The Cuisinart Egg Central also comes with a four-egg poaching tray and a three-egg omelet tray. It had more success with omelets than poaching, according to Jacqueline. “I found that it was easy to overcook the poached eggs, and I didn’t love the look of the shape it produces (like little triangles—it could work, I guess, if you like something to take on the go, but they felt dense). I would prefer cooking an omelet in here over poached,” she says. Jacqueline also notes that the stainless steel lid and side handles get quite hot, so she advises using an oven mitt or hand towel before removing your cooked eggs. “I liked this! Just be careful if or when using the second tier that when placing your first egg, it doesn’t tip over, since the tray is just balancing on top.” — Jacqueline Weiss, Writer and Product Tester Price at time of publish: $40Material: BPA-free plastic, stainless steel lid | Weight: 2.1 pounds | Capacity: 10 eggs | Dimensions: 6.3 x 7.3 x 7.75 inches | Dishwasher-Safe? Lid and trays (top rack) What We Don’t Love: Inside aluminum gets very hot, lid is somewhat challenging to close all the way, can leave egg smell in microwave Cooking eggs in the microwave is easy in this Nordic Ware Microwave Egg Boiler. The cooker is completely microwave-safe—and even looks like an oversized egg itself. It can hold up to four eggs and cook them to a soft or hard boil. As for the resulting cooked eggs? “I did not have to cook for any additional time; everything came out perfectly according to the instructions,” Jacqueline says. The egg cooker does require water to cook the eggs, but it doesn’t need to be hot to start. The entire appliance is cord-free and mess-free if used according to the package directions. “This is definitely the easiest to use, but also the most basic. It only has three parts and is straightforward,” Jacqueline notes, saying that it would work great for people living in small spaces, or even dorm rooms that only have a microwave—or if you only need to cook small batches of eggs at once. The exterior plastic and interior aluminum can get extremely hot, though, Jacqueline warns, so she advises to be careful when removing it. Also, the lid can have a hard time entirely securing to the base, so if you’re using an oven mitt or towel, make sure to hold onto both pieces. You’ll also have to be careful not to spill water when moving the cooker in and out of the microwave: “It was interesting that the water did not evaporate in the microwave like it did on the electric options,” she adds. “I think this is a pretty straightforward product and would be great for people in small spaces or even dorm rooms. … It works well and is easy to clean. Your microwave may smell a bit like eggs after and have some condensation, so there may be some minor cleanup there.” — Jacqueline Weiss, Writer and Product Tester Price at time of publish: $17Material: BPA-free plastic and aluminum insert | Weight: 0.6 pounds | Capacity: Four eggs | Dimensions: 5 x 5 x 5.3 inches | Dishwasher-Safe? No What We Don’t Love: No display to show cook time The Elite Gourmet electric egg cooker can hold up to seven eggs for soft, medium, or hard-boiled eggs. Jacqueline made all three and says that they were all easy to make and turned out well. “There is only one tier, but I like that it still felt compact even though it can fit up to seven eggs at once,” she adds. The appliance has a built-in timer, buzzer, and automatic turn-off, so cooking eggs is easy and safe. While making boiled eggs is the first thing that comes to mind with this model, it can also scramble and poach eggs, along with making omelets and steaming vegetables, thanks to the large dome that goes over the base. Though Jacqueline didn’t try cooking vegetables, “there was a good amount of steam coming through the dome lid, so I think it would work well to steam veggies if you live in a small space and don’t have many appliances,” she says. The lightweight device is ideal for those living in small apartments or dorms who still want to cook some of their own meals without waiting for water to boil or needing to whip out a frying pan—though if you do have a frying pan, Jacqueline says it’s easier to just stick to that. While there’s no fat or oil needed to boil eggs, she found that eggs tend to stick to the omelet and poaching tray, so she suggests adding a bit of oil or butter to those pans so the eggs can slip right out when they’re done. The Elite Gourmet cooker is available in 10 colors.  “No issues to note! I found storage to be easy … since most of the parts can fit within the device with the lid on top.” — Jacqueline Weiss, Writer and Product Tester Price at time of publish: $13Material: Stainless steel | Weight: 1.5 pounds | Capacity: Seven eggs | Dimensions: 6.2 x 6.2 x 6.5 inches | Dishwasher-Safe? Yes (the non-electric parts) What We Don’t Love: High dome can make it hard to store, no noise indicator when eggs are done For those that need to feed a crowd, we’ve got the perfect option for you! The Bear Egg Cooker can make up to 14 boiled eggs at one time. The double-tier steamer rack holds seven eggs each and can cook perfectly done soft, medium, or hard-boiled eggs with the push of a button. It also comes with a measuring cup with a built-in piercing pin, so you can accurately measure how much water to use depending on the size of your egg. You’ll know when the eggs are done when the water has completely evaporated, and the indicator light has turned off. However, this does not completely turn the cooker off, Jacqueline found. “Only the heating plate shuts off when the water has boiled dry. You must manually press the button to stop cooking or the plate will cook again when it has cooled down,” she notes. Despite those issues, she likes the cooker overall and thinks it would be a great option for large families or for meal prep. There is a built-in over-temperature sensor that will prevent the eggs from overcooking, too. In addition to eggs, the appliance can make steamed vegetables and fish (and even full ears of corn!), along with your choice of poached eggs or an omelet.  “As with the other models, I used a bit of oil on the pans first to prevent sticking and had no issues. I had larger eggs so added a bit more water than recommended and had no issues.” — Jacqueline Weiss, Writer and Product Tester Price at time of publish: $19Material: BPA-free plastic and stainless steel | Weight: 1.1 pounds | Capacity: 14 eggs | Dimensions (LxWxH): 6.9 x 6.4 x 8.3 inches | Dishwasher-Safe? Yes (the plastic parts) What We Don’t Love: Can only cook six eggs, alarm may be too loud for some The Dash Rapid Egg Cooker can make up to six eggs at a time in various levels of boiled firmness. The egg cooker has an auto shut-off function that prevents eggs from overcooking or exploding in the appliance, and it’s equipped with an alarm to let you know the eggs are cooked. You can cook everything from boiled eggs to individual omelets, thanks to the help of two separate trays. In addition to being straightforward and compact, “I like that there are multiple colors available, [as well as] the design overall of this and other Dash products,” Jacqueline raves. This means you can match your pots and pans, kitchen aesthetic, or other Dash appliances. Each of the egg cooker accessories fits inside the egg cooker, so they don’t take up extra space on your countertop or in your cabinets. And most of these parts are dishwasher-safe, so our tester didn’t run into any issues while cleaning. Plus, any colorful option will be easy to spot inside your cabinet. “Don’t forget to hold onto the included recipe booklet for plenty of inspiration!” Jacqueline advises. “This is on the compact side, but it’s very cute and would make a great addition to a small space, especially since it has multiple colors available.” — Jacqueline Weiss, Writer and Product Tester Price at time of publish: $17Materials: Plastic and metal | Weight: 1.1 pounds | Capacity: Six boiled eggs, two poached eggs, one omelet | Dimensions: 7.4 x 6.3 x 6.3 inches | Dishwasher-Safe? Yes (the non-electric parts) What We Don’t Love: A lot of small pieces to keep track of, no audible alarm to let you know when eggs are done The Copper Chef egg cooker is a great deal, hovering around $20 online. And even on a budget, the cooker fits 14 eggs and prepares them to your preference with the touch of one button. As with many other egg cookers, you will need to measure the correct amount of water for the number of eggs and level of doneness, but when the eggs are finished cooking, the appliance will turn off automatically so you don’t have to worry about overcooking or burning. Plus, this model can also make omelets and poached eggs, which you can perhaps cook “even at the same time (one on top, one on the bottom),” Jacqueline observes, adding that she had no issues cooking any style of boiled eggs, omelets, or poached eggs. The egg cooker is lightweight and easy to store in small places with limited counter space, like an apartment or college dorm room. If you’re boiling your eggs, make sure to drop the cooked eggs in cold water to stop the cooking process and easily remove the shells.  “Overall, I really liked this, and it was honestly on par with the Bear Egg Cooker, which also makes 14 eggs; this is the same price or lower.” — Jacqueline Weiss, Writer and Product Tester Price at time of publish: $20Materials: Ceramic | Weight: 2 pounds | Capacity: 14 eggs | Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 12 inches | Dishwasher-Safe? Yes

How We Tested

We sent these six egg cookers to be tested in the home kitchen of our expert food writer and product tester, Jacqueline Weiss. She spent several days using these cookers to see how well they were able to cook soft, medium, and hard-boiled eggs. Jacqueline also looked at the cookers that can cook more than boiled eggs, such as those with separate cooking trays to make scrambled eggs, omelets, poached eggs, and even steamed vegetables and fish—and took notes on how they performed in those aspects. Jacqueline also offered additional feedback on extra features such as ease of setup, automatic shut-off, over-temperature protection, dishwasher-safe parts, and more. After her tests, she ranked each of the egg cookers in terms of ease of use, design, size and capacity, versatility, flavor, and ease of cleaning. Learn more about how we test products.

What to Look for When Buying Egg Cookers

Automatic Shut-Off

“Having an automatic power-off, over-temperature protection, and advanced features help a lot [so you can] do multiple things at the same time," says Bali. Auto shut-off will make sure the eggs don’t overcook and that the appliance won’t stay hot if it doesn’t get unplugged.

Size and Counter Space

“Size is also an important factor most of the time, but an egg cooker is one of those things that I like if it doesn’t take a lot of space on my kitchen counter,” Bali adds. So be sure that the egg cooker you get hits the sweet spot of being compact enough to fit on a small piece of your counter while also still being able to cook the appropriate number of eggs for your needs.

Easy Cleanup

We recommend looking for models that are at least partially dishwasher-safe. The parts that cannot go in the dishwasher should be easy to wipe clean. 

What’s the best way to store an egg cooker?

Try to find an egg cooker where all of the extra pieces will nest into the main appliance. If your preferred model does not have this capability, be sure to keep all of the smaller pieces together in a plastic bag or bin and label which appliance the pieces go with. Store your egg cooker with the base side down on a sturdy shelf or countertop. 

Should I pierce eggs before putting them in an egg cooker?

Some people pierce eggs before putting them in the egg cooker to prevent egg explosions or to get a more uniform cook. Most egg cookers do recommend that you pierce the egg, and some even provide a handy tool to do so, but it’s totally up to you. Always put the pierced side facing up in your egg cooker!

Why Trust Simply Recipes?

This article was written by Megan duBois, who is a kitchen and lifestyle expert for Simply Recipes. Throughout her career, she has tested an endless amount of products, from TikTok-famous gadgets to chef-approved knife sets. To choose the best products for this article, she consulted product reviews, interviewed an expert, and considered each egg cookers’ design, functionality, and price to make wise choices for the consumer. Jacqueline Weiss contributed to this piece. She is a freelance food writer who loves to experiment in her kitchen. Jacqueline personally tested and photographed all the products in this piece and reported on her findings. Read Next: The Best Rice Cookers