Do we really need Iceland’s instant scrambled eggs?

THERE’S nothing like a timesaving trick when it comes to making meals in a hurry. But the latest innovation may have taken efficiency a little too far.

Iceland has launched Ready Scrambled Egg (£1.50) — a pouch full of pre-mixed eggs that it proudly says you can microwave in just 90 seconds.

Given that it takes about that long to scramble eggs yourself, this announcement sparked derision on social media.

So, are they a busy mum’s dream, or a rubbery nightmare? We put it to the test.

The eggs come in a pouch filled with yellow gunge, enough for one person (or two at a pinch). You rip a corner off the packet and microwave them. A minute and a half later they come out as a gelatinous glob. A few seconds whisking fixes it, but the result doesn’t look appetising. The smell was very eggy but they taste surprisingly bland. The most noticeable flavour was salt, and the texture was dry. Oddly, it comes with instructions for boiling the eggs — which takes 15 minutes — or frying them (three minutes). Frying did improve things a bit. You could get six freerange eggs for less money. But the most worrying thing about this development is the list of ingredients. There are nine, including salt and the thickening agents xantham gum and tapioca starch. Eggs are one of the healthiest, fastest meals around, so why mess that up to shave a few seconds off your cooking time?