Egg timer
Soft, medium or hard, pick one and press start when the water is boiling. The beep is your cue to get them out.
Guide
How to use it
- Bring the pan to a proper rolling boil first, the timings assume the water is already hot.
- Lower the eggs in gently (a spoon saves shells) and press the preset: Soft · 4 min, Medium · 6 min or Hard · 9 min.
- Keep the water at a gentle boil. No lid, no guessing.
- At the beep, move the eggs straight to cold water for a minute, they keep cooking in their shells otherwise.
Examples
The timings, explained
Set white, properly runny yolk, the dippy egg. Four minutes suits a medium egg from the fridge, add 30 seconds for large.
White fully set, yolk jammy at the centre. The salad and ramen egg, sliceable but still soft-hearted.
Yolk cooked through but not chalky. Nine minutes then straight into cold water stops the grey ring forming around the yolk.
Method
How it works
The presets are countdowns of 4, 6 and 9 minutes, sensible timings for medium eggs straight from the fridge into already-boiling water. Bigger eggs, room-temperature eggs or a crowded pan shift the result by roughly half a minute either way, adjust once and note what your kitchen does.
The timer itself is pinned to your device clock, so wandering off to make toast in another tab does not slow it down.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I start the timer when the eggs go in or when the water boils?
Water first: get a rolling boil, add the eggs, then start the timer immediately. Starting from cold water makes timings unrepeatable.
Fridge-cold or room temperature?
The presets assume fridge-cold. Room-temperature eggs finish about 30 seconds sooner, so use the pause button or fish them out a touch early.
Why did my yolk go grey around the edge?
Overcooking. It is harmless iron sulphide, but cold water at the beep and not exceeding nine minutes prevents it.
How do I stop the shells cracking?
Lower the eggs in with a spoon and keep the boil gentle rather than ferocious. A crowded pan knocks eggs together, give them room.
Does altitude change the times?
Above roughly 1,000 metres water boils cooler and eggs want a little longer. In the UK this is only really a Highlands problem.
Can I use this for poached eggs?
Yes, three minutes in barely-simmering water is the usual mark. Set the main timer to 3:00, this page’s presets are for eggs in shells.
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