Waterless Product Boils the Perfect Egg

12/10/06 The perfectly boiled egg - no water, no small fragments of shell and using only a third of the power required for traditional boiling. An impossible task until now thanks to a new product designed by Bournemouth University graduate Simon Rhymes.

Simon, 23, recently completed his BSc (Hons) in Product Design, and originally developed his unique waterless egg boiler as a final year project and is now working to establish the BEM (Bulbed Egg Maker) Estar through his own company.

With further advice and support from the University’s commercialisation unit, BU Innovations Ltd, Simon hopes to maximise the full potential of his idea and is now beginning negotiations with manufacturers and retailers to secure a future for BEM and himself.

“BEM is an egg boiler designed to be as reliable and functional as it is stylish and enjoyable,” says Simon, originally from Chippenham in Wiltshire. “BEM was not designed to become simply another kitchen appliance, used out of necessity alone. Its form and interaction with the user has been carefully crafted.”

Simon has replaced the need for boiled water to heat the egg by using energy-efficient halogen bulbs which enable the user to accurately and consistently produce the perfect egg in 6 minutes. Once the egg has been cooked, the BEM faultlessly cuts the egg shell at a diameter of 4cm allowing the egg to be enjoyed unspoilt by small fragments of stray shell. And, should an egg split, the top section of the BEM will contain all spillage and is dishwasher proof.

“Boiling water in a saucepan is tedious and requires constant human attention,” says Simon. “Currently available egg boilers are dull in appearance and offer the user little interest or stimulation. They display an undeniable lack of innovation and novelty, to the age old process of boiling an egg.”