How long to boil, well, everything.
Eggs from runny to hard, potatoes, broccoli, chicken, corn. The exact minutes plus the cue that tells you it's done.
Eggs: 6 minutes soft, 7 to 8 jammy, 10 to 12 hard-boiled. Pasta: 8 to 12 minutes depending on shape. Cubed potatoes: 10 to 12 minutes, whole potatoes 20 to 25. Rice: 12 minutes covered, then 10 off the heat. Start root vegetables in cold water, everything else in boiling.
Times count from the moment the water returns to a boil after the food goes in, not from when the pot hits the stove. Salt the water for anything savory.
Boiling times chart
Times are from the moment the water is at a rolling boil, unless the cue says to start cold.
| Food | Time | How you know |
|---|---|---|
| Egg, soft-boiled (runny yolk) | 6 min | Straight from the fridge into boiling water, then into cold water to stop the cooking. |
| Egg, jammy (custardy yolk) | 7 to 8 min | The ramen-style egg. 7:30 is the sweet spot for large eggs. |
| Egg, hard-boiled | 10 to 12 min | Past 12 minutes the yolk turns grey-green and sulfurous. |
| Potatoes, cubed (2-3 cm) | 10 to 12 min | A knife slides in with no resistance. Start in cold salted water for even cooking. |
| Potatoes, whole medium | 20 to 25 min | Start in cold water or the outside overcooks before the center softens. |
| Baby potatoes | 15 to 20 min | Knife-tender. Skin on keeps them from getting waterlogged. |
| Broccoli florets | 3 to 4 min | Bright green and just tender. A minute more and it goes army-green and mushy. |
| Cauliflower florets | 5 to 7 min | Tender but not falling apart. |
| Carrots, sliced | 5 to 7 min | Just past crisp. Whole carrots need 10 to 15. |
| Green beans | 4 to 5 min | Still squeaky-crisp. Ice bath after keeps the color. |
| Corn on the cob | 4 to 6 min | Fresh corn needs less than you think. Kernels turn a deeper yellow when done. |
| Asparagus | 2 to 4 min | Thin spears 2 minutes, thick ones 4. It keeps cooking after draining. |
| Spinach | 30 to 60 sec | Wilted is done. Drain and squeeze. |
| Beets, whole | 30 to 40 min | Skin slips off with your thumb when done. |
| Chicken breast (poached) | 12 to 15 min | Gentle simmer, not a hard boil. 74 C / 165 F in the thickest part. |
| Chicken thighs (bone-in) | 25 to 30 min | Simmered until it pulls easily off the bone. |
| Shrimp | 2 to 3 min | Pink, opaque, curled into a loose C. A tight O means overcooked. |
| Dry pasta | 8 to 12 min | The package time minus 1 minute, then taste. Save a mug of the water for the sauce. |
| Fresh pasta | 2 to 4 min | It floats and turns slightly paler when done. |
| White rice (simmered) | 15 to 18 min | Lid on, lowest heat, no peeking. Then 5 minutes off the heat. |
| Brown rice | 35 to 45 min | More water and more patience than white rice. |
| Red lentils | 8 to 10 min | They collapse into a puree, which is what you want for dal. |
| Green or brown lentils | 20 to 25 min | Tender but still holding shape. Salt at the end. |
| Quinoa | 12 to 15 min | The little spiral tails pop out when done. |
| Frozen dumplings or potstickers | 6 to 8 min | Straight from frozen. They float, then give them 1 more minute. |
Boiling is the simplest cooking method there is, and still everyone googles the egg every single time. Here are the times for 25 everyday foods, counted from when the water returns to a boil.
Questions people ask
How long do you boil eggs?
6 minutes for a runny yolk, 7 to 8 for a jammy ramen-style yolk, 10 to 12 for hard-boiled. Lower them straight from the fridge into already-boiling water, then into cold water to stop the cooking. Past 12 minutes the yolk turns grey and sulfurous.
Do you start potatoes in cold or boiling water?
Cold, always. Potatoes and root vegetables are dense: dropped into boiling water the outside turns to mush before the center softens. Starting cold and salted brings the whole potato up together.
How much salt goes in pasta water?
About 10 g per liter, which tastes noticeably salty. It is the only chance to season the pasta itself, and most home cooks use a fraction of what a restaurant does. Do not add oil: it makes the sauce slide off.
Does the lid make water boil faster?
Yes, meaningfully. A lid traps the heat that would otherwise leave with the steam, and water can reach a boil about 20 percent faster. Take it off once you add pasta or the pot foams over.
Good to know
Every time here counts from the moment the water comes back to a rolling boil after the food goes in. Cold food drops the temperature, so a crowded pot needs a beat to recover.
Dense things like whole potatoes and beets go into cold water so inside and outside cook evenly. Quick green vegetables dive into already-boiling water and come out fast.
Eggs and green vegetables keep cooking after draining. A bowl of cold water stops soft-boiled eggs from becoming hard and keeps broccoli green instead of grey.
Cooking guides
In Pann's Cook Mode the timer is built into each step and read aloud, so you never stand at the stove counting in your head.