How to use the online timer
Nine minutes takes the egg all the way through: a pale yolk that is firm right to the middle, and a white with some bounce to it. This is the egg for sandwich filling, for a picnic, for slicing onto a salad without it collapsing, and for anything that has to sit in a lunchbox until midday. It is also close to the ceiling. Push much beyond nine and the yolk dries out, crumbles when cut, and picks up that grey rim around the edge.
Starting the eggs in water already at a rolling boil keeps the timing meaningful, and dropping the heat to a steady simmer once they are in stops them knocking about and cracking against each other. If several eggs go in at once the water cools briefly, so give it a moment to come back to the boil before trusting the count, particularly in a small pan.
Cold water afterwards makes the difference between peeling and demolishing. Leave them in it for several minutes, then roll each egg on the worktop to craze the shell all over and start peeling from the blunt end, ideally under a running tap. Eggs a week old peel far more cleanly than very fresh ones, which is worth knowing before a picnic.
Common questions
How do I avoid the grey ring around the yolk?
Do not overcook, and cool the eggs quickly in cold water as soon as the time is up. The ring is a harmless reaction between iron and sulphur, but it appears when eggs sit in hot water past the point they were done.
Why are my eggs so difficult to peel?
Very fresh eggs cling to their membrane. Eggs a week or so old peel far more cleanly, and cooling them properly before rolling the shell to craze it all over makes a noticeable difference.
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