Coddled Eggs (How to Coddle Eggs – Easy Directions)
Coddled eggs are just so incredibly easy to make! If you’ve ever wondered how to coddle eggs, wonder no more. Just get yourself an inexpensive coddler, splurge on an elegant Royal Worcester egg coddler, or just use a small ramekin.
A few years ago, my friend Marie gave me an egg coddler.
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It was made by Royal Worcester and had lovely birds on the porcelain cup. I bought myself another when I was in the UK, and have been coddling eggs ever since. Now I want to tell you everything you could ever want to know about coddled eggs!
What is an Egg Coddler?
Egg coddlers are simply porcelain or glass containers that allow the egg to be soft-cooked without being placed directly into water. As you can see from the photo above, there are some very pretty egg coddlers; the most iconic British ones being made by Royal Worcester. The egg is cracked into the coddler, the top is screwed on and then placed into a pot with water to cook. It’s a very simple process to coddle eggs as you’ll see below.
According to the Museum of Royal Worcester, there is no record of who invented coddlers or the first manufacturer, but they became popular in the 1880s. You can read more on the history of egg coddlers. Small egg coddlers accommodate one egg, but I’ve learned that there are larger ones to coddle two eggs at a time.
You may also enjoy dippy eggs (soft-boiled) and soldiers!
What is the Difference Between a Poached Egg and Coddled Egg?
Coddled eggs are cooked inside their own little “pots”, so the egg never touches the water, unlike poached eggs which are cooked directly in water. Ouefs en cocotte is the French name for eggs in pots which could refer to coddled or baked eggs.
How do you eat Coddled Eggs?
You can eat coddled eggs as you would a soft-boiled egg in an egg cup. I love to make “soldiers” with toast and dip them into the soft yolk.
Or you can empty the egg onto a piece of buttered toast and eat it this way.
Good bread is a game-changer, though.
If you don’t have a proper egg coddler, no problem. Just use a ramekin to coddle your eggs (I’ll show you below) and your eggs will look like this. Who’s hungry?
How to Coddle Eggs
(with and without a coddler)
FULL PRINTABLE DIRECTIONS BELOW
Coddled Eggs Using Coddlers.
Put some water into a small pot and add the coddlers, just to check the level of the water. Make sure the water is halfway up the coddler. The coddlers are NOT submerged when cooking the eggs.
Butter the inside of the coddler using your finger. Do I need to tell you to wash your hands first? 😂
Crack the egg into the coddler.
Repeat with the other coddler if using two, and then add seasonings (and other ingredients if you choose, like a bit of butter, some cheese, ham, herbs, etc.)
Screw on the lid.
Bring the water in the pot to a boil and carefully add the coddlers. (I had to take the pot off the stove to take a photo, but the water was boiling.)
Note: Norma kindly noted in the comments that the ring on top is only to be used to lifting the coddlers, do not use it to twist the top open.
Simmer for about 7 to 9 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. The nice thing about using a coddler is that you can check to see if the egg is ready, and if it’s not, you can just continue cooking a bit more, unlike soft boiled eggs. Serve with toast.
Delicious!
Coddled Eggs Using Ramekins.
Place the ramekins into a pot and fill with water so it reaches halfway up the ramekins. Remove the ramekins and butter them inside.
Crack the an egg into each ramekin. Add seasonings and other ingredients as desired.
Bring the pot of water to a boil, then carefully place the ramekins into the pot. (Again, the water was boiling, but I had to take it off the stove to take a photo!)
Put the lid on the pot for the first 2 minutes (just to help cook the top) and continue to cook for about 5 minutes with the lid off. It’s easy to see when the egg is cooked to your liking. CAREFULLY remove the ramekins from the pot. I used tongs, but even better, I recently bought this handy tool for helping take things in and out of my airfryer, and it works brilliantly for this, too. Things are much less likely to slip.
Using a small spatula, you can loosen the egg from the ramekin if you don’t want to eat it in the ramekin.
Then place the egg onto a plate or a piece of toast to enjoy!
Isn’t this a perfect breakfast or lunch (or dinner? I won’t tell)!
And I mean perfect.
Now I’m just teasing you! :)
Heck, do you even need a fork and knife? I don’t think so!
Are you an egg lover? What about this fancy Eggs Royale recipe from Cynthia at What a Girl Eats?
And if you want to throw all caution to the wind, try my fried bread recipe! It’s soooo good!
Coddled Eggs (How to Coddle Eggs - Easy Directions)
Special Equipment
- 2 egg coddlers or ramekins
- 1 stainless steel dish plate clip optional
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter as needed to rub inside the coddlers
- 2 eggs
- ⅛ tsp salt to taste
- ⅛ tsp pepper to taste
Instructions
Coddled Eggs Using Coddlers:
- Put some water into a small pot and add the coddlers, just to check the level of the water. Make sure the water is halfway up the coddler. The coddlers are NOT submerged when cooking the eggs.
- Butter the inside of the coddler using your finger. Crack the egg into the coddler.
- Repeat with the other coddler if using two, and then add seasonings (and other ingredients if you choose, like a bit of butter, some cheese, ham, herbs, etc.) Screw on the lid.
- Bring the water in the pot to a boil and carefully add the coddlers.
- Simmer for about 7 to 9 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. The nice thing about using a coddler is that you can check to see if the egg is ready, and if it's not, you can just continue cooking a bit more, unlike soft boiled eggs. Serve with toast.
Coddled Eggs Using Ramekins:
- Place the ramekins into a pot and fill with water so it reaches halfway up the ramekins. Remove the ramekins and butter them inside.
- Crack the an egg into each ramekin. Add seasonings and other ingredients as desired.
- Bring the pot of water to a boil, then carefully place the ramekins into the pot.
- Put the lid on the pot for the first 2 minutes (just to help cook the top) and continue to cook for about 5 minutes with the lid off.. It's easy to see when the egg is cooked to your liking. CAREFULLY remove the ramekins from the pot. I used tongs, but even better, I recently bought a stainless steel dish plate clip for helping take things in and out of my airfryer, and it works brilliantly for this, too. Things are much less likely to slip.
- Using a small spatula, you can loosen the egg from the ramekin if you don't want to eat it in the ramekin. Then place the egg onto a plate or a piece of toast to enjoy!
Notes
- Don't forget to customize those coddled eggs with your favorite flavors of herbs, chopped bacon and more: dab of butter on top, some cheese, ham, green onions, etc.
- Norma kindly noted in the comments that the ring on top is only to be used to lifting the coddlers, do not use it to twist the top open.
Nutrition
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Those coddlers are beautiful! I found an egg poaching pan and it heats the water below and then the hot water hits the lid and rains down on the eggs. I used to love soft boiled eggs as a kid. We’d have little egg holders, place a half shelled egg on it and scoop out the insides. Good times!
Hi Christina, are the eggs room temperature or from the fridge. Thank you!
Good question! I’m in the US so out of the fridge.
Is there a rack or something to keep the glass cup off from the direct heat of the burner? Seems like it would break, even in a pot of water. I’m thinking I might be able to use a 4oz. canning jar?
Nope, as long as it’s a heatproof/ovenproof ramekin or bowl, it won’t break. Yes, canning jar is perfect.
Thanks, now I just have to find them after ou latest move😀
Good luck! :)
With the Maxime how long is recommended?
Sorry, I don’t understand the question, Ali?
The instructions for my vintage Royal Worcester coddlers say to use enough water to cover the coddler. I tried filling halfway up and covering the pot for first 2 minutes, per the article instructions, but the top of the egg was not cooked after 6 minutes. Cooked for another 2 and the top was still under done and the bottom was nearly hard boiled. Maybe eggs were smaller in the old days. Today’s large eggs fill the coddler so there is no room for additions.
Hi Cherie, try my directions for the cooking as it works perfectly. Yes, if you use very large eggs it will fill the coddler. Try smaller eggs if you want to add other ingredients. Good luck!
Wonderful recipe! I now know what coddled eggs are. I have cooked eggs in ramekins in the past either in the oven or in a pan of water. This was great to have a recipe. Easy to do. When I was in grade school, we had an egg poacher & I would cook them myself. These are even better than that!
I have always called these ‘poached’ eggs and have only ever used a 5-cup egg poacher. It doesn’t sit in the water, but is above the boiling water – so it is steamed. there are no lids on the 5 cups, just a lid that covers the whole pan. It is kind of like a double-boiler. Doing 5 at a time wasn’t enough for us even! One of my favorite ways to eat them. I don’t eat eggs much, but if I do – it is this way!
My husband and I used to have coddled eggs when first married, years ago, having been given two beautiful egg coddlers by my father-in-law. They became a real favorite until one of the cups was once over-tightened when I screwed the lid on, and the coddler lid was ruined (I still have hopes of mending it, never say never). Recently I purchased a giant coddler that holds four or even five eggs, also from Royal Worcester. I have just now enjoyed my four coddled eggs, they are just as delicious as I remembered. I added salt, pepper, and a pat of butter on top, as well as buttering the coddler before adding the eggs. I would just caution readers to never screw the lid on too tightly, as when the water heats the coddler it could become stuck, as mine did years ago.
Hi Lisa, thank you for the advice, it’s true that I think many coddlers are ruined due to how the lids are used. My friend has found a few with dented lids, too. The loop is also only for holding to remove from the pot, not for removing the lid. Happy to hear you have a new coddler. I’ve never seen one that big! Thanks again, and enjoy your coddled eggs!