Vintage Kitchen Gadgets Are So Cool – However, There Is Something Unique About Old Gadgetry – A “Quirky” Way to Cook Eggs
One such gadget from the past is the Vintage Howard Electric Egg Boiler. At First Glance It Appears To Be a Coffee Cup With Odd Time Markings. Yet Many Thrift Store Hunters, Collectors Of Retro Items Have Discovered This Mini Ceramic Item Played An Important Role In Mid Century Kitchens.
A Curious Find with a Purpose
Found At Estate Sales, Flea Markets Or Tucked Away In The Corners Of Thrift Stores, This Miniature Mug-Shaped Item Is Often Mistaken For a Toy or a Novelty Shot Glass. Actually This Item Was Part Of The Howard Electric Egg Boiler – A Compact Electric Appliance Designed To Boil Only One Thing – The Perfect Egg.
The Ceramic Cup Served As A Water-Measuring Guide. Those Numbers – 3 Min., 5 Min., 7 Min., 9 Min. – Were Not Times To Drink. Those Numbers Represented How Much Water You Should Pour Into The Boiler Depending On Whether You Wanted Your Egg Soft Or Hard. Once You Had Poured In The Correct Amount Of Water, The Appliance Would Then Boil That Water – Steaming The Egg. When All The Water Had Evaporated, The Heat Would Shut Off Leaving Your Egg Cooked To Perfection Based On The Water Level You Chose.
Practicality Meets Simplicity
In Long Before Days Of Digital Egg Cookers and Microwave-Safe Devices, The Howard Electric Egg Boiler Offered A Simple, Fool-Proof Method To Cook Eggs. You Didn’t Need To Stand Over The Stove Or Manually Time Anything. Just Use The Included Ceramic Cup To Measure Out The Water, Pour It Into The Machine, And Turn The Machine On.
This Design Was Especially Appealing To People With Small Kitchens, Dorm Rooms, or Minimal Cooking Needs. Also, Cleaning The Device Was Very Easy – Just Wipe Down The Base And You Were Done.
