6 Minute Egg Timer
Six minutes gives you the modern favourite: the jammy egg. The white is fully set but the yolk stays glossy and custardy — perfect halved over ramen, a grain bowl, or hot buttered toast.
Nailing a 6-minute jammy egg
- Custardy yolk — six minutes sets the white while keeping the yolk soft and bright
- Ramen & bowls — the classic jammy egg for noodles, salads, and grain bowls
- Cool it fast — run under cold water at zero to stop the cook and ease peeling
- Easier to peel — slightly older eggs shed their shells more cleanly than very fresh ones
- Halve to serve — a jammy yolk is at its best sliced open, not mashed
About the 6 Minute Egg Timer
Six minutes is the reliable middle ground — set enough to peel and halve, soft enough to still ooze. A cold-water rinse the moment the dial ends locks it exactly there.
Egg boiling times & tips
Six minutes gives a jammy egg. Here's how the main boil timings compare, and how to check an egg is fresh before you start.
- 3 min Soft-boiled — Runny yolk, just-set white — for dipping soldiers
- 4–5 min Soft-set — Slightly thickened yolk, tender white
- 6 min Jammy — Set white, custardy yolk — for ramen and grain bowls
- 9 min Hard-boiled — Firm but tender yolk — for salads and lunchboxes
- 12 min Fully hard — Very firm throughout; risks a grey-green ring beyond this
- Is your egg fresh? The float test
- Lower the egg into a glass of cold water. A very fresh egg sinks and lies flat on its side; as it ages the internal air cell grows, so a week or two old egg stands upright on the bottom; one that floats to the surface is past its best — throw it away.
- Time it from boiling water
- These times assume a large, room-temperature egg gently lowered into already-boiling water. Add about 30 seconds for a fridge-cold or extra-large egg.
- Stop the cook under cold water
- Run the eggs under cold tap water the moment the timer ends — no ice bath required. It halts the cooking for a precise yolk and makes the shells far easier to peel.