Free Online Egg Timer

The presets assume a large hen's egg (about 60 g) taken straight from the fridge and lowered into water that is already at a full rolling boil, then simmered. Timing starts the moment the egg goes in.

Room-temperature eggs cook about a minute faster than fridge-cold ones, and small eggs about 30 seconds faster than large. When in doubt, err on the shorter side; you can always return an egg to the water, but you cannot un-cook it.

Both work, but they behave differently. Starting eggs in boiling water gives repeatable results, because the cooking time does not depend on how fast your hob heats a pan, and the shell peels more easily because the white sets quickly against it. Lower the eggs in with a spoon to avoid cracking. Starting in cold water and timing from the boil is gentler on the shell and suits large batches, but the total time varies with pan size and hob power. The presets on this timer assume a boiling start; if you prefer a cold start, begin the timer when the water reaches a boil and subtract about one minute from the preset.

• Altitude. Water boils at about 100 °C at sea level but only 93 °C at 2,000 m, so eggs cook more slowly. Add roughly one minute per 1,000 m of elevation.
• Cracked shells. Cracks come from thermal shock and from eggs knocking against the pan. Use a spoon, keep the water at a simmer rather than a violent boil, and add a teaspoon of vinegar, which helps any escaping white set quickly.
• Stopping the cooking. For anything softer than hard-boiled, move the eggs to a bowl of cold water for two minutes. The residual heat otherwise carries a 6-minute egg to a 7-minute one.
• Easy peeling. Eggs a week or two old peel more easily than very fresh ones because the membrane loosens as the air cell grows. Peel under running water, starting from the wide end.

Our egg-boiling guide goes through the science of why the white and yolk set at different temperatures and how to scale timings for a dozen eggs at once.

The custom field takes any value from 1 to 60 minutes, so the page doubles as a general kitchen timer for rice (12 minutes covered, then 10 off the heat), poached eggs (3 minutes), soft polenta or steamed vegetables. For several dishes at once, the cooking timer runs up to four labelled timers; for baking, the oven timer includes a preheat reminder.