During my tenure as a resident inspector for gadgets, I noticed a very interesting pattern in the kitchen equipment "as seen on TV." This is a very specific one, dealing with a specific kind of food. So I have a question: Why are there so many special equipment for processing eggs?

This is not just the cooking of eggs. There are some doohickeys that can be used to peel, slice, use them to make sandwiches, turn them into logs, and even stir them in shells. I mean, eggs are great, but I don’t find them troublesome to make. Are eggs really that tricky? Is there any magical egg-boiling equipment worth the money?

I had a conversation with Tony Dezutter, managing partner of Paulie Gee's Wicker Park (where we used to work together) and former executive chef of Blissful Banana Cafe (he specializes in brunch). From his experienced professional point of view, see To see if eggs are really as many gadgets suggest, cooking is challenging.

"It's difficult to make eggs correctly," Dezut said. "Most people can scramble eggs, but it is very difficult to master the correct technique and cooking time. I have seen many people boil eggs to death. This is a habit that many chefs have developed and cultivated."

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I admit that at home, I am not too picky. Even if I mess up my eggs (usually skewed because they are overcooked—you deserve it), I’m still happy to eat them, because eggs are eggs. If the yolk bursts prematurely, I do get angry with myself, but I am very happy. I didn't realize that professionals often make egg mistakes in the kitchen. Maybe some people can really use a highly specific egg timer or a color-changing egg timer to eliminate some guesswork. (But isn’t this the purpose of the timers on our phones? Also, these are free.)

According to Dezutter, poached eggs are the most difficult to make.

"In a busy service, poaching is a more concern for everyone, because if the eggs are soiled, you won't know until after a few minutes of cooking time," Dezutter said. "If you don't practice a million times at home, the chefs may have the most difficult moment, they just watch the eggs completely fall apart in the water."

Well, for those millions of times that must be practiced at home, maybe someone is really willing to spend 27 dollars on a perfect egg-stealing pot. In other words, if they are the kind of real people who really don't get tired of eating the same breakfast every day. Otherwise, they may turn to EGG-TASTIC microwave oven poachers. Or any other number of products invented for this purpose.

Think of it this way: there may be no equipment for cooking eggs for people who don’t know how to cook them. Rather, its goal is to do this more consistently than the average chef.

"It is almost impossible to make any type of egg in the same way every time," Dezutter told me. "It takes an experienced veterinarian to get consistent cooking times and seasonings." From a professional chef, this is a strange and comforting thing, isn't it? Nevertheless, the consistency promised by As Seen On TV products may not be worth the cost and counter space.

"Most [these gadgets] are for a single purpose goal, which is too confusing for me," he said. "And more general equipment, such as pots and pans, with a little practice, even if it's not better, you can do the same job."

Pots and pans are also more likely to be in your kitchen. It is reasonable to assume that many As Seen On TV egg cooking solutions are given to egg lovers in your life as gifts, rather than people buying for themselves.

In other words, I own three magical easter eggs equipment: one I bought out of morbid curiosity many years ago, one is a gift from me, and the other is a gadget I checked for The Takeout The staff column test. I have a firm view of each of them.

OK. Rollie Eggmaster is the most interesting kitchen equipment I have. A few years ago, well before my takeaway era, I got it myself and paid about $30 for it. I have to say that this is an endless source of entertainment for me, but that thing is absolutely useless. If you are not familiar with it, Eggmaster is mainly designed for boiled eggs, but its method is very strange. Look at the ad above and let its majesty sink for a minute.

Basically, this thing is used to make egg cones. Its shape is a bit like a large travel mug with an empty tube in the middle. There is no switch; all you have to do is plug it in until the green light comes on, which is how you know it is ready to start cooking. Just spray the cavity with non-stick cooking spray, put two eggs in (this makes a very obvious fart sound), and let this thing work its magic.

You will know when it will be finished, because the tubular egg will get out of the Eggmaster in a downright vulgar display. There is no mechanism you have to manipulate to achieve this; the egg simply pushes it upwards and squeezes itself through its own steam. This is funny. I laughed until I cried the first time I tried it.

The egg itself is fine, I guess. If you like that stuff, they are cooked, I think if you really want it, you can pack the final product into a hot dog bun. This takes longer than frying two eggs in a pan (approximately 10 minutes). I realize its appeal is that it should be hands-free, but the problem is that if you leave the finished product in the tube unattended for too long, the eggs will sink back into the machine. Then you have to take out the egg tube with a skewer. It's neither gorgeous nor labor-saving. I give Rollie Eggmaster an A for entertainment and a D for usefulness.

I received the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker as a gift from my friend Pete. His heart is in the right place; he knows I like kitchen supplies. Too bad, the Hamilton Beach breakfast sandwich maker is not so good at one thing it should do.

If you watch the QVC video above, you will see that the device has two chambers. The bottom chamber is used to hold the bottom bun of the sandwich (preferably English muffin, because the machine is small and round), and some form of flat disc-shaped protein, such as Canadian bacon or sausage ice balls, and cheese, Want it if you want. Disc-shaped protein is the best kind, right? Then the upper chamber will boil the eggs and the top of the sandwich bread of your choice (again make sure you choose the bread that fits the small circular chamber).

It's a bit messed up, you should break a raw egg into the top chamber and put a piece of bread on it when the egg is raw. This machine will eventually cook the eggs all the time, so this is not a food safety issue or anything. It's just that the final product is really weird, because the hard-boiled eggs are fused with English muffins, making the egg noodles a bit moist. Then you slide the hinged intermediate partition out of the device, combine the two halves of the sandwich, and...you are done. great?

Here's the thing: if any eggs or cheese ooze from the side of the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker, chances are, you're done. If any of these things drip into the hinge of the machine, you will be double flushed, because good luck! Let me tell you that after a few uses it will become nice and annoying. The cooking surface is non-sticky, but if you find any eggs or cheese in hard-to-reach crevices, you might want to throw the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker into outer space. I gave Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker a C- for utility (who eats so many egg sandwiches?) and an F for the worst cleaning experience ever, possible.

Most of what I'm going to say about Eggstractor (a device for peeling boiled eggs) can be found in my Gadget Inspector column earlier this year. I know that some people often eat hard-boiled eggs because they are a good snack and they promote nutrition well in nature's convenient bite-sized packages. In short, the eggs are great. But how many hard-boiled eggs have you eaten—how poor are you at peeling eggs—do you need something like this?

Eggstractor should use a strange accordion-shaped pressure chamber and some manual force to quickly peel the boiled egg. With the violent push of the accordion, the egg should pop out of the machine's bottom, completely naked. Too bad, it doesn't actually work.

My Eggstractor did not have a success story. In fact, the device can only remove the yolk from an egg, which is probably the most amazing thing I have seen in the kitchen (except for the Rollie Eggmaster vertical ovulation tube). The kitchen also smells like fart, which is important because you are full of sulfur-egg-scented air.

This thing has a job, it can't even do it. In addition, will any respectable kitchen gadget make you tired after using it? This thing is supposed to save you energy, but it makes you physically and mentally exhausted. I give this Eggstractor an A because it is a piece of nonsense, and an F because it is a piece of nonsense.

Do not. the answer is negative. Unless you like to be frustrated all the time, give the money to the TV commercial producer. I think some of them are ideal at least for people with weak hand strength or dexterity. But this does not seem to be the case.

As Tony Dezutter pointed out, if you need to practice any form of eggs, just buy a few dozen from the grocery store and mess around in any pots and pans you already own. It is cheaper than buying something that will only be used twice, and you are more likely to come out of the experience of learning new kitchen skills than to pay for the privilege of not doing so. Skip the egg assistant on TV; whatever eggs your own efforts produce will be just as good.

Unless you want to laugh it off, in this case, you can get a Rollie Eggmaster. Actually wait. I just lent you mine. You don't have to bring it back.

I unabashedly like my double egg sandwich maker (just like in OP, but only makes two instead of one).