READY
READY
Six minutes in already-boiling water gives a large egg a set white and a yolk that is still liquid at the centre, the jammy one. Four minutes leaves it properly runny, eight is set but still bright, and ten to twelve is fully hard. Every one of those numbers assumes the egg goes into water that is already at a rolling boil and comes out into cold water immediately.
Two things move the timings more than people expect. A fridge-cold egg needs roughly thirty seconds longer than a room-temperature one, and altitude lowers the boiling point, so well above sea level, an egg cooks slower at the same rolling boil.
The tip that fixes most bad eggs: stop the cooking properly. An egg left in hot water after the timer keeps cooking, and the difference between jammy and chalky is about ninety seconds. Have the cold water ready before you start, and move the egg the moment it rings.
Press start as the egg goes in. The countdown holds its time even if you wander off to make toast in another tab.
Ten to twelve minutes from a rolling boil, then straight into cold water. Add ?t=10m to this page for the exact countdown.
These timings are for a boiling start, which is more consistent because the clock begins at a known temperature. A cold start depends on your pan and your hob.
Yes. These are for large eggs: take about thirty seconds off for medium, add about thirty for extra large.