Of all the gadgets I’ve tested so far, this has to be the worst. It falls into the category of “Why, why, why would I need that?” I’ve learned there are many things I don’t need but still want after I see how cool they are. This is not one of those items.
As Seen on TV’s Clever Cracker consists of a device to scramble an egg within its shell and another device to separate yolks from whites.
How it works: The battery-operated scrambler, which would have been cool if it worked, comprises an egg cup with a needle in the middle. Place a raw egg into the cup, making sure to pierce the middle of the egg with the needle. Turn the device on and the needle supposedly will scramble the contents of the egg.
Simple enough if the battery connection were properly made. The device ran without the egg in the cup, but as soon as I placed the egg, it stopped. I changed the batteries, and the device worked for a little while and then stopped.
After shaking the gadget, the whirring began again — and stopped. Finally, after getting it to run for about 30 seconds total (the instructions say it will take 15 to 20 seconds), I cracked the egg. All I got was a broken yolk surrounded by egg white. A couple more tries produced the same result.
The egg separator is a contraption way too complicated to explain for such an easy task. It’s much better to just use your hands or the eggshell to remove yolks from whites. There’s less cleanup, too.
Does it work?: Nope. Epic fail.
Cost and availability: Around $6 at stores that sell As Seen on TV products and online at amazon.com and other sites. Interestingly, it’s not available on the asseenontv.com site. And the neweasy.com site (which notes “As Seen on TV is now New Easy”) lists it as out of stock.
Worth it?: No.
Got a gadget you love? Are you curious about one you’d like us to test? Email crave@staradvertiser.com or write Crave, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza Suite 210, Honolulu 96813.
