Customer Reviews

Joie de Vivre 50162 Mini Fry Egg Pan with Nonstick Surface

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

Length:: 2:39 Mins

I would have never bought this pan if I had seen the reviews here, but I bought it on an impulse at a cookware outlet and I'm so glad I did! My pan doesn't have any of the problems (hot handle, peeling nonstick) that the other reviewers here have experienced. I suspect that since those earlier reviews the pan has been redesigned by the manufacturer.

Whatever the reason, I absolutely love it! It's the only pan I've ever found that is the perfect size (4") for english muffins and orowheat sandwich thins. Honestly, I'm a rather practical person, so I generally don't buy things with little characters on them, but this pan has ended up being the most-used pan in my kitchen. It's perfect for making scrambled egg sandwiches, so I use it several times a week.

If the handle starts heating up or the nonstick peels off, I'll update this review, but in over six months of weekly use, it's performed like a little champ! And, over time, the cartoon egg on the handle has grown on me, it seems kind of shocked or amazed... perhaps because it has to watch me cook an egg!

BTW-The secret to light, fluffy scrambled eggs is to use a low heat and stir constantly. It takes a little longer, but it is so worth it.

Enjoy!
Claire

PS - It always makes my day to know that people find these reviews helpful. So, please vote (The "Was this review helpful to you: Yes or No" buttons) and leave a comment if you'd like, even if it's just to say, "Hi!" I respond to all comments so feel free to ask a question about the product. Also, when you leave a comment, I will go to your reviews and pay you the same courtesy.

While cute, this little pan is difficult to use. There's no room to use a spatula, so you'd better like the eggs cooked through - you can't flip for over easy, and the egg white is too deep to do sunny-side up. Also the handle gets hot and the little plastic egg bit is not enough to grip, so you have to use a potholder. Plus, it's so small that it won't fit any normal-sized burner - another burn risk to your fingers.

Although somewhat of a novelty item, it does produce perfectly round shaped fried eggs. I have had the best results by spraying it with oil and when I want to flip the egg, I loosen the edges with a spatula, slide it out of the pan and on to the spatula then flip it back into the pan.

My wife loves for me to make her an "Egg McMuffin" kind of sandwich, except with egg whites only, and on a bagel, and with Virginia ham intead of Canadian bacon. I make one for her almost every morning befoe I go to work. I had been using these egg rings, which you lay down on a hot frying pan. They work sorta ok. But egg always leaks out because either no frying pan in completly flat, or the rings are not. I have not ever figured it out. Then along comes this pan. Seems to be the perfect size for the pefect round egg. And really, it is! The egg cooks up fine, especially if you keep the flame on low, which on most gas burners give you a flame ring the size of the bottom of the pan. This also seems to be just the right amount of btu's for proper cooking. Turning the egg over is a problem, but not a huge one. Best option is to let the egg do 90% of it's cooking on the first side, then use your smallest spatula to turn it over for the last 10 or 15 seconds of cooking. There is one fatal flaw to this pan. It is the handle! For starters, it is of an almost useless shape, too wide and too flat to hold comfortably, were the second problem not evident-the handle gets just about as hot as the pan! Now the makers have seen fit to afix a goofy egg character on the end of the handle, I suppose to insulate your hand from it's cooking temperature surface , but alas, it gets just about as hot as well. Having said all that, I still use the pan every day because it is the only one of it's size I have been able to find. And it does make perfect round eggs for that morning sandwich my wife must have!

The pan is poorly designed. I like the small "one-egg" size, but the sides are 90 degrees to the bottom. Getting an egg out is a nightmare. I trashed the pan. I kept the cute little spatula.

I confess that I was taken by how "cute" this pan is, and very enthusiastic about the size--perfect for a single fried egg, or for quickly browning some garlic. But this pan is so poorly designed and manufactured that I'm sorry I bought it. Even though I'm very careful with it, the teflon scratches easily (and now, we're hearing more and more from the government about the dangers of non-stick coatings). Furthermore, the pan is actually too thin to make a good egg, and the handle, which is clumsy in its size, gets VERY hot. I have a lot of house guests, so I even took the precaution of writing HOT with a sharpie all over the the little egg decoration--not so "cute" anymore.

To conclude, I would say that this is just one more piece of junk to clutter our landfills. Look in your kitchen: you probably have a perfectly good pan at home already. Wish I'd thought of that before I bought this product.

Not only is this pan unbalanced (the weight of the handle tips it over), it is terribly made. The first time I cracked an egg in it, after a few seconds of cooking I noticed black flecks in the egg - it was the non-stick coating on the pan! The coating had chipped off and was floating in the egg. Don't waste your money.

I am very disappointed in this pan. Not only does the handle get hot but I found that he pan occassionally throws sparks! I also get a funny smell when I cook with it, even when I keep the stove on low and food sticks to it. I had to throw mine away and am not shopping for a higher-quality pan.

I must admit, I'm shocked at all of the one-star negative reviews on this pan. This little thing is great! Firstly, I'm certain that 99% of the perceived issues with this pan are because people aren't using it correctly. For starters, LOWER your heat. This is a really small pan and heats up very quickly. As such you can't expect it will act the same as a much larger pan. The first time I used this I made the same mistake and put the heat where I would for a larger pan.
I had the same problem with the egg sticking. But then I lowered the heat and presto - the pan worked great! Now I realize the pan heats very quickly and only minimal heat is necessary. I spray some cooking oil in the pan, let it heat for a minute and then add the egg. It slides off easily every time now. Realize, too, that non-stick coatings will deteriorate quicker under extreme heat.
The only issue I've found is that it is necessary to have a narrower plastic spatula so you can get under the food to turn it.
Once you learn to use the pan, it is really a joy to use. The design seems to have been modified to correct the handle issue and I haven't had that problem at all.
For the money, it's a good buy !

This was an impulse buy for me and a mistake it was. Barely large enough to fry one small egg; will stick if no oil is added; will overflow if a jumbo egg egg is used with some oil; will tip over easily since the handle is heavier; handle gets too hot to handle without a mitten; the paint on the egg head will melt if the handle gets too hot (and get smeared on the mitten). Totally impractical, save your money, please.