Kitchen Timer

Egg Boiling Timer

Pick the doneness you want, adjust for egg size and starting temperature, and run a reliable countdown without doing the timing math by hand.

Set your cook

Times are estimated for eggs lowered into gently boiling water and moved to cold water when the timer ends.

Doneness

The timer starts from the moment your water returns to a steady boil.

Higher elevations usually need a little extra time because water boils at a lower temperature.

Enter feet above sea level from 0 to 12,000. The timer adds about 6 seconds per 1,000 feet.

Ready to start
Calculated cook time 07:05
Adjustment added +45 sec
Countdown 07:05

Large fridge egg for a jammy center at sea level.

Timing details

  • Base times: soft 6:00, jammy 6:30, medium 8:30, hard-boiled 10:30.
  • Size adjustment: small -20 sec, medium -10 sec, large +0 sec, jumbo +25 sec.
  • Starting temperature: room temperature +0 sec, fridge +35 sec.
  • Rounding: the calculator works in whole seconds and displays time as minutes and seconds.

Cooking results can vary with pot size, stove output, egg age, and how quickly you chill the eggs after boiling. Use the timer as a starting point and adjust for your kitchen.

How it works

The calculator starts with a practical base time for the yolk texture you choose, then adjusts for egg size, whether the eggs are cold from the fridge, and any altitude increase you enter. The countdown begins from the computed total and stays in sync by using the clock rather than subtracting one second at a time.

For the most consistent result, lower the eggs into already boiling water, keep the boil gentle instead of violent, and transfer them to cold or iced water as soon as the timer finishes. If you prefer steaming or starting from cold water, this timer will not match those methods exactly.