Bear ZDQ-B05C1 Rapid Multi-function Egg Cooker with Auto Shut Off, for Boiling, Steaming and Frying, with Ceramic Steaming Rack and Lid,Healthy&Safe, Suitable for all people

Likes:- In a class of its own when it comes to cooking eggs: you won’t believe the texture and flavor! We’ve had several egg cookers that worked well and lasted many years, but none could cook eggs like that.- You can safely ignore the bizarre interface and use it like any other egg cooker, by measuring the water and letting the machine cook until all water has been evaporated (at which time it gives a soft, repeated beep, and shuts off).- The ceramic egg support and top are easy to clean and won’t fade; they also add enough weight to the machine that it stays put.Dislikes:- No on/off switch that actually would shut off all power to the machine- Bizarre interface and confusing user manual- Only comes in baby pinkRemarks:Before ordering this item, I had to return four (!) of the cheaper egg cookers to Amazon: one would not turn on; one turned on, but would not turn off after it had evaporated all water and menaced setting itself on fire; one was advertised as having an alarm when the egg was cooked (i.e., when the water had been evaporated), but did not; etc.I ordered this one out of desperation — I did not like the pink and did not need its other functions, but it was the only one offered by Amazon that was not one of the two Chinese models, sold under dozens of model names and cosmetics for varying prices, that I had had to return repeatedly.Its interface seems to date back to the 1970s: two 7-bar alphanumeric characters, which spell OF when the machine is plugged in, but OFF; 6 choices that are simply 6 different lengths of cooking; /- adjustment that does not work to change the duration of cooking, but set a delay for the start of cooking (called “preset” in the manual); and labeling in Japanese and the kind of bad English translations that also reminded of the 1970s.So I was rather skeptical when I cooked my first soft-boiled egg; I decided to ignore all instructions and use it the way I would use a standard egg cooker: measure the water and let the cooker do the rest until it sensed that all water had evaporated. (The manual clearly indicated that the machine would sense that, beep, and stop.) I used the same water measurement as I did for my old, decrepit plastic Chinese-made cooker, and the pink machine did everything fine: cooked the egg, beeped a few times softly (easy to hear in an adjacent room, but not with a closed door), and shut down (“OF” ;-). With some trepidation, I plunged the egg in cold water to cool it before cracking it open, but as I started eating it, I realized that this was the best soft-boiled egg I had ever eaten — the texture and taste were far better than any of my previous egg cookers could achieve. And calibrating the level of cooking with the amount of water was as easy as with any other egg cooker.You should ignore the instructions for water amounts and time, since, among other things, I suspect that “egg boil” actually means hard-boiled eggs and “egg custard” is for soft-boiled eggs — not surprising, as “complementary”, another setting, is somehow a mistranslation of “baby food”, at least according to the manufacturer — and since the water quantities listed are for 5 eggs. Instead, just use as you would a regular egg cooker with no settings, and calibrate the water levels to fit your eggs, your water, your altitude, and the humidity in your home, all of which affect cooking time.If you can stomach the pink color and the baby bear theme, you’ll enjoy the best eggs you ever had.(Its other functions, such as miniature frying pan, might even come in handy if you live in tight quarters.)I cannot yet comment on durability/reliability, but am hopeful: its old-fashioned design speaks of appliances made to last and it is clearly well finished, sports a high-quality power cord and plug, and generally inspires confidence.A few tips to bypass translation issues:– what is called “preset” is a delayed start; it can be set from 30mins to 9h30mins in increments of 30mins using the /- keys– the 6 settings for cooking are just 6 different lengths of time, in minutes, as shown on the display; they do not affect temperature; these lengths cannot be modified with the /- keys– for cooking eggs in the shell (or anything else that’s cooked based on steaming), all that matters is that the cooking gets stopped by evaporating all the water, not by the timer — so you could use the highest setting every time.Update: we’ve had this cooker now for 2 years. Not only are we thankful at every breakfast for the eggs, but the machine is evidently really well built: it looks brand new after two years of daily use and works every bit as well as on day 1. Highly recommended!