Neo 3 in 1 Durable Kitchen Electric Egg Cooker, Boiler, Poacher Poached Boiled & Omelette Maker Machine Steamer with Timer (Black and Copper)

I use this just for the omelet maker - The instructions are very clear and it is very simple to use - once you have cracked to eggs and mixed them together, just pour the egg mixture into the tray, fill the measuring cup up to Soft 4, pour the water on the heat plate, add the stand on top, then the tray with the egg on top of that, put the lid on and turn on the power.It suggests using oil or butter, but for this particular method, i found that it doesn't require it - for hard boiled stuff and longer boiled poached eggs, yes, you need it otherwise it sticks like a ____.I have resorted to getting the omelet ready to start the cooking process, begin frying bacon on a pan, and once that has began to start browning, flick the power on the egg cooker on and continue frying the bacon until it goes really crispy -Add that bacon to a base of a roll, and by that time the omelet is done, and you can just slide it out on top of the bacon and boom. breakfast (I even make fried bread buns of the same type of rolls so that it fits in between perfectly) - Please note though, that once it is cook, it is incredibly hot, the steam is dangerous and once you open it up after cooking and you touch the omelet tray, condensation drips onto the hot plate and it hisses at youI suggest wearing some kind of protective glove or a small towel (Maybe some kitchen roll in a pinch) to try and protect your hand a bit as you take the cooked egg in the tray out -For the method I described, if you measure it correctly, the omelet should just slide out easily without any effort, and then simply rinse and wipe the tray. - Shake the egg stand over the sink as this has water still on it and give that a quick wipe down, and then wipe the hot plate after it has cool and it is fine, it serves me well and makes it incredibly easy to have this cooking in the background without constant maintenanceP.S. One thing that I wasn't prepared for the first time I used it was the beeping it makes when it is done, it sounds like a small alarm going off that induces minor panic, and as I understand it, you need to act quickly by simply turning the switch off, and then (what I do is) turn the power at the mains - Removing the lid is the main thing, because the egg expands quite quickly if left during the siren - Though i haven't let it go for very long, so i cannot vouch for the ins and outs of consequences, and I don't want to try.Nifty gadget though and I am very happy with it, the eggs come out delicious

Originally I wanted to order the Salter egg boiler as it's a brand I'm familiar with but it was out of stock and I'm impatient, so I settled on the Neo as it had a lot of positive reviews.My initial impression on unpacking was slight disappointment, it seemed a lot flimsier than the photos, which also give the impression the lid rotates back over the boiler. It doesn't, it's just the way the photo is staged. The lid isn't a hemisphere either, it's, well, egg-shaped, with decorations to make it look like a boiled egg (this is the bit of it I loathe.)So, slightly disappointing looks aside, time for a practical test. A lot of the reviews said the measuring cup could be hard to read but mine was clear enough. The only odd thing was the piercing tool on the bottom was shorter than the cover extending over it meaning you have to press quite hard to pierce the egg. Each time it feels like I'm going to smash the egg in my hand!First up was a boiled egg, I set a timer just in case as some reviews said the buzzer wasn't very loud. It was fine though, went off a minute before the kitchen timer did but the egg was cooked just right.There was some residue on the heating plate, the brown spot you can see in the photo is burned on egg white that dripped out the puncture hole and the white stuff is limescale as I live in a very hard water area.Test number two was the omelette. I mixed grated cheese in with mine. It was cooked a little firmer than I like it if I make it a pan and more like a fritatta in shape than an omelette, but as I cooked this one to eat with bacon in a large roll it was perfect (and just the right size to fit in an oven bottom cake!)And finally I did a poached egg, this was probably my least favourite. Again, the yolk was cooked to a nice consistency but the white had a slightly different texture to what I'm used to, possibly because it's actually steamed rather than poached.Cleaning - as I said, I live in a very hard water area so limescale build-up on appliances is a fact of life (if you live in Yorkshire or Scotland just skip this bit...)I let the boiling plate cool then cleaned it first with a soapy cloth to remove the egg residue and then with a bit of diluted descaling solution. I also tried a dab of white vinegar and both removed the limescale marks effectively. The appliance relies on boiling dry to set the buzzer off so you're always going to get some kind of residue unless you use distilled water.Pros: UK compliant moulded plug, decent cord length, cooks eggs well if you follow the instructions, perfect if you don't want to cook eggs on the stove, or if like me, you're using it a dormitory/halls of residence/work place etc where you don't have access to a kitchen.Cons: looks a bit naff, can only make two poached eggs or one small omelette (but for one person that's ideal.)Overall I've given it 5 stars despite my dislike of the lid as it does what it's meant to do and is good value for the price.Update - I've been using this product almost daily for 5 months now, mostly boiled eggs and some omelettes and I'm still pleased with it. I clean the base plate each time I use it to avoid limescale build up, so far it still looks brand new. I've completely stopped using the piercing tool before cooking the eggs and have so far only had 2 eggs crack in the boiler (probably because the egg already had a hairline crack.)