Egg-Preparation Tools

Eggs are used so many ways in cooking that all sorts of specialized utensils and gadgets have been developed to prepare them. In the earliest American colonies, the equipment was simple. For boiling, a pan with room for water to cover the egg was enough. For frying, a three-legged skillet or even a griddle was used, along with a wide, flat-bladed turner, which was also used for flatbreads and pancakes. For beating eggs, peeled twigs, forks, or even spread fingers were used.

In the 1870s, perhaps earlier, wire racks for more than one egg were manufactured and widely used. A center vertical handle meant that the rack, with six, eight, or even more eggs held in wire cups, could be lowered into boiling water and then safely extracted after boiling and used to serve eggs at the breakfast table.