Lower the eggs gently into water that’s already at a rolling boil, turn it down to a steady simmer, and press Start. When the alarm goes, move the eggs straight into cold or iced water to stop them cooking.
| Doneness | Large egg, fridge-cold | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Runny | 5 min | Barely set white, fully runny yolk — for soldiers |
| Soft | 6 min | Set white, runny yolk |
| Jammy | 7 min | Thick, jammy yolk — ramen eggs |
| Medium | 8 min | Mostly set, soft centre |
| Hard | 10 min | Fully set, still bright yellow — salads, sandwiches |
| Very firm | 12 min | Firm and crumbly — devilled eggs |
The base times are for a large, fridge-cold egg (about 60 g) lowered into boiling water: 6 minutes for soft, 7 for jammy and 10 for hard. Bigger eggs take longer and smaller ones less; room-temperature eggs start warmer and need about 30 seconds less.
At altitude water boils at a lower temperature — about 1 °C less for every 300 m — so eggs cook more slowly. The altitude setting adds roughly a minute per 1,000 m; it’s a rule of thumb, so check your first egg.
The countdown uses your device’s clock, so it stays accurate even if you switch to another app for a moment, and the alarm plays until you tap Reset. The time left also shows in the browser tab.
About 6 minutes for a large egg straight from the fridge, lowered into boiling water and simmered — the white is set and the yolk runny. For a very runny yolk with a softer white, 5 minutes.
About 10 minutes for a large fridge-cold egg in boiling water, or 12 minutes for a very firm, crumbly yolk. Then cool it in cold water so the yolk doesn’t turn grey-green.
Boil large fridge-cold eggs for 7 minutes (6½ for a looser yolk), then plunge them into iced water for at least 5 minutes before peeling. Marinate in soy sauce, mirin and water overnight for ramen eggs.
Starting in boiling water gives more consistent timing because the heat-up time doesn’t depend on your pan and stove, and eggs often peel more easily. If you start in cold water, time from when it boils and knock about 2–3 minutes off.
Very fresh eggs peel badly. Use eggs that are a week or more old, start them in boiling water, and chill them in iced water straight after cooking.
