How long to boil an egg for the yolk you want
The difference between a runny yolk and a chalky one is about four minutes, and a cook who guesses usually lands on the wrong side of it. This egg boiling timer turns four things that change the answer into a single time: how set you want the egg, how big it is, whether it started cold from the fridge or at room temperature, and how you are heating the water. Set your altitude too, because water boils at a lower temperature on a hill and the egg takes longer.
Pick the settings, read the time, then press Start timer. The page also lists the time for all four doneness levels under your settings, so you can boil a batch of different eggs in one pan and lift them out at different times.
How to use the Egg Boiling Timer
- Choose the doneness: soft, jammy, medium or hard.
- Choose the egg size and whether the egg is cold from the fridge or at room temperature.
- Choose the method: eggs lowered into boiling water, a cold-water start, or kettle water poured over the eggs in a covered pan.
- Add your altitude if you live above about 500 m (1,600 ft), then press Start timer.
- When the timer ends, move the eggs into cold or iced water for 2 minutes before peeling.
Egg Boiling Timer features
Four doneness levels
Soft, jammy, medium and hard, with the time for each shown at once.
Size and temperature
Small to extra-large eggs, fridge or room temperature.
Three methods
Boiling water, cold-water start and electric-kettle water.
Altitude correction
Boiling point calculated from the altitude, and the time lengthened to match.
Built-in timer
Start, pause, resume and reset, with a short beep and a message when time is up.
Starting times for a large egg from the fridge
These are our planning figures for a large egg lowered into water at a full boil at sea level. They sit in the middle of the ranges found in cookery charts.
| Doneness | Time | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Soft-boiled | 6 min | Set white, runny yolk |
| Jammy | 7 min | Set white, soft, sticky yolk |
| Medium | 9 min | Firm white, creamy centre |
| Hard-boiled | 11 min | Fully set yolk, good for slicing |
How the tool adjusts the time
- Size: a small egg takes a minute less than a large one, a medium half a minute less, an extra-large half a minute more.
- Room-temperature egg: one minute less, because there is less cold to heat through.
- Cold-water start: time from the moment the water reaches a full boil; one minute less, since the egg has already been warming.
- Electric kettle: boiled water poured over eggs in a pan with the lid on cools quickly, so the tool adds two minutes. This method is the least predictable: use a deep pan, enough water to cover and a lid, and check the first egg.
- Altitude: the boiling point is estimated from air pressure (about 95 °C at 1,500 m, 90 °C at 3,000 m) and the time is multiplied by a rule-of-thumb factor, roughly 28 % longer at 1,500 m. It is an approximation, so crack one egg on your first try.
Tips for easier peeling and better eggs
Cool the eggs in cold or iced water straight away, then tap and roll them on the counter and peel under a little running water. Older eggs peel more easily than very fresh ones. Do not crowd the pan, because a pan full of cold eggs drops the water temperature and adds time. For a general timer use the countdown timer, and to plan a whole breakfast use the meal timing planner.
Egg Boiling Timer FAQ
How long do you boil an egg for a soft yolk?
About 6 minutes for a large egg straight from the fridge, lowered into boiling water. A jammy yolk needs about 7 minutes.
How long should a hard-boiled egg boil?
About 11 minutes for a large egg in boiling water at sea level; 9 to 10 minutes if the egg is at room temperature.
How long do you boil eggs at high altitude?
Longer, because the water boils below 100 °C. Enter your altitude and the tool lengthens the time: roughly a quarter more at 1,500 m.
How do I boil eggs in an electric kettle?
Place the eggs in a deep pan, pour just-boiled water to cover them, put the lid on and time them. The water cools quickly, so the tool adds two minutes; test the first egg.
Should I start eggs in cold or boiling water?
Both work. Boiling water gives the most repeatable timing. A cold start is gentler and cracks fewer eggs, but the time depends on how fast your stove heats the pan, so time it from the full boil.
Is the result exact?
No. It is an estimate. Stove power, pan size, the number of eggs and the egg weight all change the result.