John Lewis, £4.85
A jazzy little pair of poachers, and they deliver a jolly good egg too. The whole process is clean and easy, and there’s no risk of singed fingers. After the pouch has danced around in a simmering pan for five minutes, turn it inside out for a perfectly poached egg. The result is large, round and fairly flat – perfect for going on toast. All this, along with the fact that the pouches are so easy to clean, make these the overall winner. Photograph: David Levene/Guardian
Heal’s, £4.95
The traditionalist’s choice, this French vintage-style poacher is the only one tested that submerges the egg fully into the water. Although a few strands of white escaped, the result was beautifully oval and had that “hand-poached” look. Easy to use but unfortunately rather tricky to clean. Definitely one for a more sophisticated approach to egg poaching. Photograph: David Levene/Guardian
Marks & Spencer, £9.50
Simple maths tells you that this is excellent value. Four eggs can be poached at once and, if you fancy cooking your eggs a different way, the pan can double up for omelettes. The poached eggs might come out artificially hemispherical but the taste is just as good as any. Perfect for recreating the “caff” poached egg experience at home. Photograph: David Levene/Guardian
