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.)
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)
How to coddle eggs, with easy step by step instructions.
Ingredients
- butter (to rub inside the coddlers)
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper
- (add other ingredients as desired: another dab of butter on top, some cheese, ham, green onions, herbs, etc.)
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. 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.
- 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 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!
Notes
Don't forget to customize those coddled eggs with your favorite flavors of herbs, chopped bacon and more.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 123Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 201mgSodium: 264mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
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Egg came out perfect but the jar was so hot I had to hold it with a potholder but then had a difficult time unscrewing the lid because that was so hot.
Glad the egg turned out perfectly! Don’t know what to say about the heat, Eila. It’s cooked in boiling water, so that’s just something we have to deal with.
Ok I just used my egg coddler for the first time any yes it was very hot and hard to open….but I found a great way that really works….hold it with a hot pad then put something thru the metal ring to use a leverage to turn the lid open….works great👍🏼
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing here as I’m sure others will find it helpful, Carrie! :)
Use the handle of a wooden spoon through the ring to lift and unscrew it.
I use one of those flat rubber jar opener grips to hold the bottom while unscrewing the top off. Works great.
Had the same problem. Next time I lined the coddler with PAM and also put some around the grooves of the coddler. Did not tighten the top down, only until it would support the coddler while I pulled it out of the water. Had to use a wet paper towel to hold coddler to unscrew the lid…yes it was hot!
I have two Royal Worcester egg coddlers and I enjoy the eggs cooked in them. My problem is that I can’t figure out how to easily open the lids! My lids screw on, and frequently get stuck on! I wouldn’t consider trying to open the lid before it was finished! I doubt I could get it back on! Is there a trick that I need to learn? Thank you!
Hmmm, I don’t know why that’s happening, Lecia. Maybe try not screwing them on as tightly is the only thing I can think of. It’s not like they go underwater and the water will get inside. Let me know if that works.
screw the lid on but then unscrew it slightly, turn it back a little.
Make sure the water, when boiling, won’t reach the lid, the heat will be enough to cook the entire egg.
So when the water is just under the lid, that will be fine
Some coddlers come with metal collars on which to screw the lid. Others have a rubberized collar. I have both kinds. The ones with the metal collars are much easier to open. I
Haven’t tried yet, but I love to cook food on holidays. Will definitely try that.
Ben you will enjoy serving eggs in the pretty coddlers. One thing Christina didn’t specify, but would be
helpful – is when using the Royal Worcester (or similar) coddlers, can you put TWO eggs in one coddler ?
I’m surprised more people haven’t asked… Including newbies like Ben !
I didn’t mention it because it’s impossible to put two eggs into one coddler as they won’t fit. Only way that’s happening is if you use quail eggs! :) Enjoy Suzan!
there are larger coddlers on the market which would fit 2 eggs.
https://eggcoddlers.com/RoyalWorcester/sizes.shtml
It’s pretty clear in the numerous pictures that another egg wouldn’t fit!
BUT…Royal Worcester do bigger coddlers that DO accept two (hen’s) eggs. Double joy :)
Yes I do put two in one. It is a larger size and holds two eggs.
[…] always serve it with an egg (usually fried, but there’s nothing wrong with soft-boiled, or coddled eggs). Some like to add some grated Cheddar cheese on top (you can always put it under the broiler, […]
Isn’t washing the container a pain?
Hi Joan, not at all. Remember, the butter helps the egg not to stick. Enjoy!
I’ve never heard of an egg coddler but mom made me poached eggs a lot as they are my favorite. However she nor I put in water-we both had/have a pan with a rim that holds a “frame” and little cups set in it. Put some water in bottom of pan, bring to a boil, put buttered cups in frame, add egg in each cup cover and cook a couple minutes, remove lid and cook to your liking…guess it’s basically the same only different?🤷 My grands, 6 of them(ages 5-18 years)request whenever they are with me for breakfast.
Still delish…the coddlers are beautiful!!!
First try with my coddlers and not perfect but edible. When I checked the eggs, the white was not set on top. After another minute, they looked mostly set with maybe condensation on top? The whites were good but the yolks too cooked (not runny). Practice will eventually make perfect.
There is a bit of a learning curve, Catherine, but I bet they’re perfect next time! Enjoy!
Hi Catherine,
I struggled with runny, watery tops and too-hard yolks. I found a suggestion online to place the saucepan lid on top while cooking. This creates steam and heats the coddler more evenly. Add a little less water and take 1 minute off your normal cook time. I use 6 to 7 minutes. Hope this helps.
Best,
Mark
This makes sense, because as we all remember from junior high science class, steam, which is vaporized water, contains more heat than boiling liquid water at the same temperature, therefore putting a lid on your water bathed pot will help to set the top portions of the immersed coddlers.
This recipe did not work out at all for me. buttered coddler, boiled water placed in turned down to simmer cooked for 8 min, then 2 more minutes, checked them both times whites still liquid, cooked another 2 minutes eggs were hard cooked. Wonder what I did wrong!
I have no idea except 12 minutes would definitely make a hard cooked egg. That’s very strange. I can’t imagine how the white would still be liquid after 10 minutes, too. I have no suggestions for you, I’m afraid! Sounds like you’ll have to pull them out at about 9 minutes next time.
I had the same issue. Some videos on YouTube show it runny whites. Yuck. But your not alone. I tried multiple times today and I got one to cook fairly correctly for about 7 1:2 minutes but i added water at the silver rim and I kept my pot boiling the whole time.
Used our coddlers for the first time today and the same thing happened to us. I buy extra large eggs so that might have been the problem. Next time going to try with small to medium size eggs. 😉
Hi Elaine, I would assume the coddlers are usually made for medium/large eggs, so yes the XL would be a problem. Hope the smaller work for you, they are perfect for mine. Good luck!