Salutations, gentlefolk,

Amongst the kitchen equipment I inherited is a saucepan, 7" inches
in diameter, about 1 3/4" deep, with an insert that fits inside
the outer rim and holds 3 'cups', 2 1/2 in diameter and 1" deep.

Tried using these to 'steam' eggs, found that the resulting eggs
were nothing extraordinary taste-wise, and cleaning the eggwhite
that was sticking to the cups almost required dynamite. Pan and
inserts have been gathering dust since.

Looking thru some old cookbooks at the library, saw recipe for
"Eggs Cocotte", seeming to require similar equipment. Recipe said
to:
butter the cups lightly
break in the eggs, yolk unbroken
add a spoonful of cream (Assumption: about 1/2 tablespoonful)
steam 2 minutes longer than for boiled eggs.

Questions: 1 - Think this is worth trying ?
2 - If nought but skim milk is in the refrigerator, what could
substitute for cream ?
3 - Or is this pan intended for another use entirely ?

Thanks for your help with this quandry.

Yours, John Desmond

wrote:

> Salutations, gentlefolk,
>
> Amongst the kitchen equipment I inherited is a saucepan, 7" inches
> in diameter, about 1 3/4" deep, with an insert that fits inside
> the outer rim and holds 3 'cups', 2 1/2 in diameter and 1" deep.
>
> Tried using these to 'steam' eggs, found that the resulting eggs
> were nothing extraordinary taste-wise, and cleaning the eggwhite
> that was sticking to the cups almost required dynamite. Pan and
> inserts have been gathering dust since.

That sounds like an egg poacher, though it is actually more of a
steamer. It is handy for those you have trouble poaching eggs without
them getting stringy and soggy. They are easier to clean if you use lots
of butter in the cups.