Q: These Royal Worcester egg coddlers belonged to my grandmother. What can you tell me about them?
A: Coddled eggs are cooked in a ramekin or egg coddler submerged in boiling water. The ring on the top of the screw-on lid makes it easy to lift the coddler out of the boiling water. Porcelain egg coddlers were first used in the 19th century in England. Worcester porcelains were first made in Worcester, England, about 1751. There were several name changes over the years and Royal Worcester became part of the Portmeirion Group in 2009. The pattern on your grandmother’s egg coddlers is Evesham. It includes decal decorations of fruit, flowers and leaves. Some Evesham pieces are still being made, but the coddlers are no longer available on Portmeirion’s website. The coddlers were made in several sizes. Standard Size, for coddling one egg, is 2 1/2 inches high (3 1/2 inches to the top of the ring with the lid on). King Size, for coddling two eggs, is 3 1/4 inches high (4 inches with the lid). Some newer Evesham coddlers have a plastic “lip,” the part with the screw rings, instead of porcelain. Standard Size Evesham coddlers sell for $20 to $30; King Size sell for $40 to $45.
That’s a good question, Hookman! I actually used my little coddler this past weekend and found out it is a 2-egg size – bonus! It was advertised in a Sears 1937 catalog as an Egg Boiler. I’d guess restaurants don’t serve them because they’d have to invest in a lot of coddlers, as it is customary to eat the egg right out of the coddler. It’s more of a steamed egg, rather than poached… or “boiled” without having to remove the shell, which can be a pain sometimes. LadyLeadFoot, you will likely enjoy your Egglets!
This must be where the idea for the new “Egglets” came from. I just got a set of them.
I may be wrong, but I thought that poached eggs are cooked directly in water and coddled eggs in a container like this. My Mother used to do the coddled eggs in the 6 oz. desert dishes.
I just recently learned of egg coddlers. I’m fascinated with utilitarian antiques, especially kitchen items. I found & bought a McKee Glasbake Style GB-RBSFALBW one last summer without knowing what it was… I just loved the uniqueness of it… and that it glowed under my blacklight was a plus. Thank you for featuring this article!
Is a coddled egg the same as a poached egg, similar or completely different?
Why do we not see coddled eggs offered at restaurants?
Thanks!