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Egg Toppers
Egg toppers neatly slice off the tops of eggs—a faster, neater, and more precise method of breaking the shell.
Editor&aposs Note:UpdateSeptember 2020
Top Picks
Co-WinnerRösle Egg Topper
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
Co-WinnerThe Original Egg Clacker
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
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What You Need to Know
Egg toppers neatly slice off the tops of eggs, whether you are serving them soft-cooked or using a raw eggshell as a vessel. These devices claim to be faster, neater, and more precise than the standard method of cracking the shell with the back of a butter knife. We put four models to the test, priced from nearly $6 to more than $26.
The designs fell into two categories: scissor-style and spring-loaded. Not surprisingly, scissor-style toppers look like a pair of scissors that end in a loop instead of straight blades. The loop goes over the tapered end of an egg; when you squeeze the handle, metal teeth emerge to bite into the shell and remove the top 1/2 inch of the egg. Spring-loaded toppers look like little metal plungers: The bowl fits over the end of the egg like a dunce cap. Two pulls on the spring-loaded lever in the handle punctures a circle around the top of the egg that can be gently pried off.
Scissor-style models were faster and did the job, but their shell-puncturing teeth left a jagged edge flecked with shell shards. One model’s flimsy handles bent after only a few uses. Spring-loaded versions fared better. We sliced a dozen eggs with each of these models; while neither perfectly topped every egg, our favorite produced many more shells with precise, clean edges. Its rival had a tighter spring that delivered a too-heavy, shell-shattering strike. Faster than a butter knife, easy, and accurate, our winning topper is a worthwhile purchase if you enjoy soft-cooked eggs.
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Everything We Tested
Recommended
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
Co-WinnerRösle Egg Topper
This sturdy, plunger-shaped model was the most precise, quickly topping eggs in about 20 seconds with neat, even breaks due to a lever that had just enough force to punch out a circle without cracking the entire shell.
Model Number: 12827
Price at Time of Testing: $22
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
This sturdy, plunger-shaped model was the most precise, quickly topping eggs in about 20 seconds with neat, even breaks due to a lever that had just enough force to punch out a circle without cracking the entire shell.
Model Number: 12827
Price at Time of Testing: $22
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
Co-WinnerThe Original Egg Clacker
The Original Egg Clacker did a fine job of topping raw, soft-, and hard-cooked eggs. It consists of a steel cap attached to a rod with a sliding ball. To operate it, you fit the cap on top of an egg, draw the ball up the rod, and drop it from the farthest height; the ball plummets, rapping the steel-capped egg at the end of its fall and creating a perforated ring in the top of the shell that you can then pry off with your fingers or the tip of a knife. It wasn't perfect every single time, but it tied for the most consistently clean cuts among the models we considered.
Model Number: SYNCHKG005119
Price at Time of Testing: $19.99
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
The Original Egg Clacker did a fine job of topping raw, soft-, and hard-cooked eggs. It consists of a steel cap attached to a rod with a sliding ball. To operate it, you fit the cap on top of an egg, draw the ball up the rod, and drop it from the farthest height; the ball plummets, rapping the steel-capped egg at the end of its fall and creating a perforated ring in the top of the shell that you can then pry off with your fingers or the tip of a knife. It wasn't perfect every single time, but it tied for the most consistently clean cuts among the models we considered.
Model Number: SYNCHKG005119
Price at Time of Testing: $19.99
Recommended with reservations
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
Paderno World Cuisine Stainless-Steel Egg Topper
This spring-loaded model created perfectly topped eggs every fourth or fifth time and some fairly clean ones in between, but it came in second place for a cracking mechanism that was too strong. It frequently delivered a rap that cracked the bottom shell.
Model Number: 42595-01
Price at Time of Testing: $26.18
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
This spring-loaded model created perfectly topped eggs every fourth or fifth time and some fairly clean ones in between, but it came in second place for a cracking mechanism that was too strong. It frequently delivered a rap that cracked the bottom shell.
Model Number: 42595-01
Price at Time of Testing: $26.18
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
RSVP International Endurance Egg Topper
This scissor-style model topped eggs easily, was neater than a butter knife, and was fast and consistent, taking an average of 2½ seconds to top each egg. Unfortunately, the scissor-style design produced a craggy edge that left bits of shell behind.
Model Number: EG-TOP
Price at Time of Testing: $5.85
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
This scissor-style model topped eggs easily, was neater than a butter knife, and was fast and consistent, taking an average of 2½ seconds to top each egg. Unfortunately, the scissor-style design produced a craggy edge that left bits of shell behind.
Model Number: EG-TOP
Price at Time of Testing: $5.85
Not Recommended
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
Fox Run Egg Topper
This scissor-style egg topper worked and was faster than a butter knife, taking an average of 2½ seconds, but it left a jagged edge and shards of eggshell behind—ultimately, it cut only slightly more cleanly than a butter knife. Its handles were flimsy, becoming crooked and warped after only a few uses.
Model Number: 5720
Price at Time of Testing: $6.02
- Speed
- Precision
- Durability
- Ease of Use
This scissor-style egg topper worked and was faster than a butter knife, taking an average of 2½ seconds, but it left a jagged edge and shards of eggshell behind—ultimately, it cut only slightly more cleanly than a butter knife. Its handles were flimsy, becoming crooked and warped after only a few uses.
Model Number: 5720
Price at Time of Testing: $6.02
*All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.
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