Lower large, fridge-cold eggs into simmering water: 6 minutes for soft-boiled (set white, runny yolk), 8 minutes for jammy, and 10-12 minutes for hard-boiled. To poach, slide the egg into barely-simmering water with a splash of vinegar for 3-4 minutes. An egg is the one thing you cannot probe with a thermometer, so the clock is your doneness test — and once cooked, never let boiled eggs sit in the danger zone of 4-60C (40-140F) for more than 2 hours.
Every granny has a firm opinion on eggs, and here is ours: start the timer the second the egg meets the water, and do not wander off. The difference between a runny yolk for your toast soldiers and a fudgy one for your salad is exactly 2 minutes. Below is the minute-by-minute table, the cold-water method for those who swear by it, how to poach without the white flying about the pan, and how long a hard-boiled egg can safely sit out. Times here are for large eggs straight from the fridge.
| Doneness | Time (from simmering) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Soft-boiled | 6 minutes | Fully set white, runny yolk — for toast soldiers and dipping |
| Jammy | 8 minutes | Thick, fudgy, just-set yolk — the ramen and salad egg |
| Hard-boiled | 10-12 minutes | Firm yolk and white all the way through, no grey ring |
| Poached | 3-4 minutes | Barely-simmering water with a splash of vinegar; set white, runny middle |
The Minute-by-Minute Method (Simmering-Water Start)
This is the method we trust for precision. Bring a pan of water to a gentle simmer — lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil that rattles the eggs about and cracks them. Lower the eggs in on a slotted spoon, straight from the fridge, and start the timer that very second. Six minutes gives you a soft-boiled egg with a set white and a properly runny yolk. Eight minutes gives you jammy — thick and fudgy, the one everyone wants on ramen. Ten to 12 minutes gives you hard-boiled through and through. When the timer rings, lift the eggs straight into a bowl of iced water. That stops the cooking dead, which is what keeps a 6-minute egg a 6-minute egg, and it is also what saves your hard-boiled yolks from that sad grey-green ring. Because the water was already simmering when the eggs went in, the timings hold true every single time — no guessing about how long the pan took to heat up.
How Long to Boil an Egg From Cold Water
Plenty of grannies were raised on the cold-water start, and it works — it is just a different clock. Put the eggs in a single layer in the pan, cover them with cold water by about 2.5 cm (1 inch), and bring it to a rolling boil. The moment it boils properly, take the pan off the heat, clap the lid on, and leave the eggs to sit in the hot water for 10-12 minutes. That gives you hard-boiled. It is a gentler, more forgiving method — hard to overcook badly — which is why it suits a big batch for deviled eggs or potato salad. Its weakness is soft and jammy eggs: because you cannot say exactly when the water heated through, the in-between stages are guesswork. For a runny yolk, use the simmering start above and trust the 6-minute clock.
How Long to Poach an Egg
Three to 4 minutes in barely-simmering water — that is the whole secret, plus a splash of vinegar. Fill a wide pan with about 8 cm (3 inches) of water and bring it to the barest simmer: the surface should shiver, not bubble. Add a splash of vinegar; it helps the white set quickly instead of drifting off in wisps. Crack each egg into a cup first, then slide it gently into the water close to the surface. After 3-4 minutes the white is set and the yolk still runs. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and rest it on kitchen paper for a moment before it goes on the toast. One more thing: the fresher the egg, the tighter the white holds together. An older egg spreads. If your poached eggs keep coming out ragged, the egg may be the problem, not you.
How Long Can Hard-Boiled Eggs Sit Out?
Two hours, maximum — and only 1 hour if it is hot out, above 32C (90F). Cooked eggs sitting between 4C and 60C (40-140F) are in the danger zone, where bacteria multiply fast, and boiling an egg strips away the natural protective coating a raw egg has in its shell. So the picnic platter and the Easter hunt both run on the same clock: 2 hours, then bin what has not been eaten. Do not be tempted to give stragglers a sniff test — it will not tell you anything useful. Kept properly, though, hard-boiled eggs are a gift: left in the shell and stored in the fridge, they keep for 1 week. Peel them as you need them; the shell is their best protection.
Check Your Eggs Are Fresh First
Before any of these timings matter, the egg itself has to be worth cooking. The quick check is the float test: a fresh egg lies flat on the bottom of a bowl of water, an older one stands on its end, and a floater goes in the bin. We have the full method, and what each position means, on our page on [how to tell if eggs are fresh](how-to-tell-if-eggs-are-fresh). Freshness changes how you use them, too. The freshest eggs make the best poached eggs, because the white clings tight. Slightly older eggs — a week or two on — are actually the ones you want for hard-boiling, because they peel far more cleanly. A sensible kitchen runs both ways: poach the new box, boil the old one.
Questions we get asked
Do you put eggs in before or after the water boils?
For soft and jammy eggs, after — lower fridge-cold eggs into already-simmering water and start timing at once: 6 minutes soft, 8 jammy, 10-12 hard. The cold-water start (bring to a rolling boil, off the heat, lid on, 10-12 minutes) is fine for hard-boiled, but it makes precise soft-boiled timing guesswork.
How long can hard-boiled eggs sit out?
A maximum of 2 hours at room temperature, and only 1 hour if it is above 32C (90F). Between 4C and 60C (40-140F) is the danger zone where bacteria multiply quickly. Past the 2-hour mark, throw them out.
How long do hard-boiled eggs last in the fridge?
One week, kept in their shells in the fridge. The shell protects the egg, so peel them only when you are ready to eat. Get them into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking.
Why do my hard-boiled egg yolks turn grey-green?
They cooked too long or cooled too slowly. Stick to 10-12 minutes from simmering, then move the eggs straight into iced water to stop the cooking. The ring is harmless, mind — just not pretty on a deviled egg.
Do you need vinegar to poach an egg?
It is not compulsory, but a splash in the barely-simmering water helps the white set quickly and hold together instead of feathering. Poach for 3-4 minutes. A genuinely fresh egg matters even more than the vinegar.
How do you boil eggs so they peel easily?
Start them in simmering water rather than cold, chill them fast in iced water, and use eggs that are a week or two old — very fresh eggs cling stubbornly to their shells. Tap, roll, and peel under a trickle of cold water.