# Why aren't Egg Cups common in the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 15, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442 "2006-03-15T13:15:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/21 "2006-03-15T17:16:33Z")
Because they ar so damned expensive (at least [in my pattern](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7397433921&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3APIC&rd=1) they are). ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/22 "2006-03-15T18:14:50Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Well, first off, soft boiled eggs aren’t common here. That’s probably because a lot of Americans have avoided eggs in the last couple of decades because they’re high in cholesterol. Also, the [US government](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/background/bksalmon.htm) recommends that people not eat eggs unless they are cooked until the whites and yolks are firm, due to the hazard of salmonella. There’s also the fact that many Americans don’t eat a sit-down breakfast any more. We want something quick that we can grab and go before work or school. > [@kellner](#): > > I’ve also heard that some Americans think it’s strange that people here eat their pizza with knife and fork. We do. We only eat pizza with a knife and fork if the crust is too floppy to hold a slice in your hand. If God had wanted us to eat pizza with a knife and fork, He wouldn’t have made that lip of crust on the back of each slice, nor would He have made the crust so hard to cut through with a knife. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![sunfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sunfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunfish)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/23 "2006-03-15T18:37:17Z")
> [@yingtongtiddleipo](#): > > But but but… how do you dip your soldiers in when there’s no egg cup…? _lip quiver_ That’s what sunny-side-up eggs are for. 🆒 Over easy works too, as long as you don’t fry the egg for too long. Now I have a hankering for sunny-side-up eggs with corned beef hash. Maybe I’ll hit a diner this weekend for a treat. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/24 "2006-03-15T18:50:22Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > We only eat pizza with a knife and fork if the crust is too floppy to hold a slice in your hand. You Californians! Don’t you know floppy pizza is suppose to be rolled up and eaten from the end like a burrito? ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/25 "2006-03-15T19:37:33Z")
I have no egg cups, but I do have one of those gadgets that cuts the top off the egg, just in case I ever do get egg cups and want to eat soft-boiled eggs with them. (Yick. Don’t like soft-boiled eggs.) So I am half-prepared, at least. I also eat my pizza with a knife and fork, despite my American-ness. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/26 "2006-03-15T19:47:29Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > I have no egg cups, but I do have one of those gadgets that cuts the top off the egg, just in case I ever do get egg cups and want to eat soft-boiled eggs with them. A knife? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/27 "2006-03-15T20:34:45Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > And on those rare occassions when you do want to eat it, it’s just as easy to stick it in a small bowl. Huuu…no. In a small bowl, the egg won’t be stable, so you won’t be able to dip in the yolk the thin slices of buttered bread that you’ve prepared and eat your soft-boiled eggs as God intended. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/28 "2006-03-15T20:34:46Z")
> [@yingtongtiddleipo](#): > > Place eggs in a pot of cold water, add a pinch of salt. > When it boils, remove from the heat, let stand for exactly 4 minutes. > Drain and serve… > These eggs will have soft, runny yolks and hard whites. For the “four minutes standing” part, do you mean the eggs should still be in the hot water than you just took off the fire, or do you remove the eggs from the water and let them sit on the counter? ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/29 "2006-03-15T20:45:05Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Huuu…no. In a small bowl, the egg won’t be stable, so you won’t be able to dip in the yolk the thin slices of buttered bread that you’ve prepared and eat your soft-boiled eggs as God intended. Dipping the bread in the yolks is weird. Just tear the toast apart and mash everything together as the true God intended. Or, instead of buttered toast, use club crackers. That’s tasty, too. Either way, you need to mend your filthy heathen ways. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/30 "2006-03-15T21:23:23Z")
Egg cups are the reason the sun has set on the British Empire. Soft-boiled eggs are Evil. Pure and simple. [And I’m not the only person who thinks so](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=363017). ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/31 "2006-03-15T22:00:23Z")
> [@yingtongtiddleipo](#): > > Place eggs in a pot of cold water, add a pinch of salt. > When it boils, remove from the heat, let stand for exactly 4 minutes. I just tried this, but I couldn’t get the eggs to stand, because they are round. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/32 "2006-03-15T22:03:33Z")
> [@kellner](#): > > I’ve also heard that some Americans think it’s strange that people here eat their pizza with knife and fork. :eek: _Shakes. Twitches. Scratches Berlin off of “places to visit” list. Consults exorcist just in case._ ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/33 "2006-03-15T22:32:57Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > You Californians! Don’t you know floppy pizza is suppose to be rolled up and eaten from the end like a burrito? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone do that, either in California or in Maryland where I grew up. Don’t you get sauce and burning hot cheese all over your hands when you do that? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/34 "2006-03-15T22:39:35Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > Don’t you get sauce and burning hot cheese all over your hands when you do that? What’s your point? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/35 "2006-03-15T22:41:37Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > A knife? No, this is fancier. It’s like scissors, only set in a round ring that fits over the top of the egg. When you ‘snip’ the scissors, all these little teeth cut into the egg and make a perfect entrance. [Here’s one.](http://www.alwaysbrilliant.com/aa/aspx-products/pid-663/dpc-19/pd-42691/egg/scissor,egg/bb/egg_topper.htm?SessionID=I2agRzPIDR%2boU0iTqcY%2bC6u3HU60yDhNMWpjp8cSwjmel5a3o6vYtymbim5ZOWy4CLVBemHuEUaT0wt8XKl7wg%3d%3d) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/36 "2006-03-15T22:46:23Z")
Mom’s guide to soft-boiled eggs: Rip white bread into bite-sized pieces and place in Corelle cereal/soup bowl. Crack egg with knife, pull open, use spoon to scoop egg out of shell halves onto bread. Serve. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/37 "2006-03-15T23:53:22Z")
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen egg cups at World Market/CostPlus, too, **Shirley**. I like my boiled eggs with the yolks just barely cooked (not runny), but can’t imagine eating them from anything but an egg cup. **yingtongtiddleipo** , soldiers are the long slices of toast other people described, right? **SoP** , you let the eggs stand in the pan of hot water for the four minutes. Best egg-cooking directions I’ve come across are in [The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/051788268X/sr=8-1/qid=1142466689/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-6886232-6178535?%5Fencoding=UTF8). It covers egg cooking for just about every style you can think of. It’s a great book even if you’re not a vegetarian. GT ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/38 "2006-03-16T00:03:35Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > Ever since our Big Fat German Holiday a year and a half ago, I have been looking IRL for Egg cups at stores. > > I haven’t found a one. > > Via Ebay, most of them are from the UK or Europe. Occasionally there will be one from the US, but they are either not what I am looking for ( vintage-ish) or Tupperware. > Why why why why? > My kingdom for a set of 4 ( or 6 would be ideal) egg cups. When was the last time you saw soft-boiled eggs on a menu? I always have to settle for poached. I know you can get them at “gourmet” kitchen stores, in ceramic or stainless steel. I have one made from a steel coil. Now try looking for an egg cozy. People give you strange looks when you ask for them. ;j ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/39 "2006-03-16T01:29:07Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > No, this is fancier. It’s like scissors, only set in a round ring that fits over the top of the egg. When you ‘snip’ the scissors, all these little teeth cut into the egg and make a perfect entrance. [Here’s one.](http://www.alwaysbrilliant.com/aa/aspx-products/pid-663/dpc-19/pd-42691/egg/scissor,egg/bb/egg_topper.htm?SessionID=I2agRzPIDR%2boU0iTqcY%2bC6u3HU60yDhNMWpjp8cSwjmel5a3o6vYtymbim5ZOWy4CLVBemHuEUaT0wt8XKl7wg%3d%3d) I think we have found the most useless kitchen gadget. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442/40 "2006-03-16T03:19:43Z")
My mom has egg cups, but I can’t remember ever using them for anything but windowsill decorations. I don’t think I’ve ever had a soft boiled egg. Unless it’s something like a coddled egg? My mom also has egg coddlers on the windowsill next to the egg cups, and when I was little she’d sometimes make me a coddled egg for breakfast. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-egg-cups-common-in-the-us/348442.md?page=3)