How long should I boil eggs?

Choose soft, jammy, medium or hard boiled, then set egg size and method. The timer adjusts the kitchen estimate.

When do I start the timer?

For boiling-water start, begin when eggs go into boiling water. For cold start, begin when the water reaches a boil.

Does altitude matter?

Yes. Water boils at a lower temperature at altitude, so this timer adds time in 1,000 ft steps.

Egg Boiling Timer

Set an egg boiling timer for soft, jammy, medium, hard boiled or poached eggs using egg size, start temperature, method and altitude.

Desired doneness

Egg size

Egg temperature

Cooking method

Boiling time

7:00

of 7:00 - start timing when eggs go into boiling water

Put eggs in ice water right after cooking to stop carryover heat and make peeling easier.

Browser sound and notifications depend on tab state, device volume and notification permission.

Choose the egg doneness

English egg-timer intent is practical: pick the doneness, size and start method, then run a countdown. The timer uses kitchen estimates and keeps safety caveats visible.

Doneness	Yolk	White	Best for	Base time	Limit
Soft boiled	Runny	Barely set	Toast, ramen eggs and quick breakfast	6:00	Not the safer option for high-risk groups
Jammy	Jammy and warm	Set but tender	Ramen, bowls and spoonable eggs	7:00	Yolk remains partly fluid
Poached	Creamy and runny	Sets without shell	Eggs Benedict and toast	3:15	Cooked shell-free
Medium	Partly set center	Firm	Snacks and salads	8:30	Result depends on fast cooling
Hard boiled	Fully set	Firm	Slicing, salads and storage	11:30	Safer option when fully cooked

Timing adjustments

S: subtract 60 seconds; M: no change; L: add 60 seconds; XL: add 120 seconds.
Room-temperature eggs into boiling water: subtract 60 seconds.
Cold-start method: egg temperature is not used, and timing starts when the water boils.
Altitude: add 15 seconds for each full 1,000 ft above sea level.

t_{base} = T_{mode, method}

tbase - base time for selected doneness and method.

Δ_{size} \in {- 60, 0, + 60, + 120} seconds

Deltasize - egg size adjustment.

Δ_{temp} = - 60 seconds

Deltatemp - room-temperature adjustment for boiling-water start.

Δ_{altitude} = ⌊ \frac{h _{f t}}{1000} ⌋ \cdot 15 seconds

Deltaaltitude - altitude adjustment, hft - altitude in feet.

t_{final} = max (t_{m i n}, t_{base} + Δ_{size} + Δ_{temp} + Δ_{altitude})

tfinal - timer duration after safeguards.

Safety and timer limits

Poached eggs are cooked without the shell. Browser sound can fail if the tab is closed, the browser throttles scripts, or the device is muted.

Soft eggs, runny yolks and poached eggs can be risky for children, pregnant people, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. USDA sources are food-safety context, not official safety guarantees for every doneness level.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources and References

Calculations are based on the listed reference sources. Links open in a new tab.

Updated: June 2, 2026

Related Tools

Online Timer and Stopwatch

Run a browser countdown timer or stopwatch with lap times, pause, resume and quick minute presets.

Open

Oven Temperature Conversion Calculator

Convert oven temperatures between Celsius, Fahrenheit and Gas mark, with common recipe settings, fan-oven notes and practical oven ranges.

Open

Cooking Measurement Converter

Convert cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, milliliters, fluid ounces and grams for recipes using ingredient density and common kitchen measures.

Open

Calorie Calculator

Estimate daily calorie needs from BMR, TDEE, activity level and goal, then review maintenance, weight-loss, weight-gain and macro targets.

Open