How to use the egg timer
- Cooking method: choose boiling water, cold start or poached. The line under it says when to press Start.
- Doneness: press Soft, Jammy or Hard (names vary by method), or type your own minutes and seconds under Or set your own time.
- Press Start. Use Pause or Reset if plans change, Test sound to check volume and Sound to mute.
- When the alarm rings, press Stop alarm and cool boiled eggs in ice water.
Where the times come from
The presets are for large eggs straight from the fridge. Cooks differ by a minute either way, so adjust to taste.
| Method | Soft | Middle | Hard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower into boiling water | 6:00 | 8:00 | 10:00 |
| Cold start, then stand off the heat | 3:00 | 6:00 | 12:00 |
| Poached | 3:00 | 4:00 | 5:00 |
Boiling water times follow RecipeTin Eats (6, 8 and 10 minutes) and agree with Jamie Oliver's 5, 7.5 and 10. The stand method follows the American Egg Board's 12 minutes for hard cooked large eggs and Food Network's 3, 6 and 12. Poached eggs use the American Egg Board's 3 to 5 minutes. The clock uses real elapsed time, and the alarm is queued on the audio clock so it stays on time in a slowed background tab.
Worked example
On load the method is Lower into boiling water with Hard selected, so the display reads 10:00 and the message reads Ready: Hard, 10:00. Lower the eggs in and press Start. At 0:00 the screen turns green with Time is up and the alarm rings. Press Soft instead and the same method shows 6:00.
Limits and edge cases
- Egg size matters. The American Egg Board's stand method is 9, 12 and 15 minutes for medium, large and extra large eggs. For boiling water there is no official table, so a rule of thumb is 30 seconds more or less per size. Enter it under your own time.
- Room temperature eggs cook faster than fridge cold ones, and a big batch cools the water, so let it return to a boil. At altitude water boils cooler and eggs take longer, and above 10,000 feet the American Egg Board calls hard boiling almost impossible.
- Your own time takes whole minutes from 0 to 99 and seconds from 0 to 59, at least 1 second in total. Settings lock while the timer runs.
- Cooking something else too? Try the cooking timer or several named timers in the multi-timer. For any other duration use the countdown timer.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I boil an egg for a runny yolk?
About 6 minutes for a large egg straight from the fridge, lowered into boiling water, gives a runny yolk and set white. Some cooks stop at 5 minutes for a runnier yolk. Use the Soft preset.
How long does it take to hard boil an egg?
Lowered into boiling water, a large egg takes about 10 minutes. With the American Egg Board method you cover the eggs with cold water, bring to a boil, take the pan off the heat, cover it and let large eggs stand about 12 minutes.
Should eggs go into cold or boiling water?
Boiling water gives the most repeatable timing, because the clock starts the moment the eggs go in. Starting in cold water is gentler, but the time depends on your pot and burner. Choose the method first, because the presets change with it.
How long do you poach an egg?
The American Egg Board says 3 to 5 minutes in gently simmering water, until the whites are completely set and the yolk begins to thicken but is not hard. The presets are 3, 4 and 5 minutes.
Are runny eggs safe to eat?
The FDA advises cooking eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm, and says children, older adults, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk. Pick a Hard preset if they are eating.
Sources: American Egg Board on hard boiling and poaching; RecipeTin Eats; Jamie Oliver; FDA egg safety.