Kitchen Tools: A Old-Fashioned Egg Timer

My hourglass egg timer

When I moved into a tiny studio apartment in downtown Madison, Wis., I had a great deal of fun setting up my equally minuscule kitchen, which was about five-feet across. For the amount of kitchen gear I had - dishes, a few pots and pans, a coffee pot and a casserole dish - it was surprisingly efficient.

I was a block off busy, funky State Street and could see and hear the saffron-robed Hare Krishnas swaying and chanting on the corner and listen to a reggae band practice on weekends. I cooked lots of vegetarian meals with curry and cumin.

I purchased a few small items at the shops along State Street, which were a mix of bookstores, clothing boutiques, music stores and gift/kitchenware retailers. Among them was this German-made egg timer, which is perfect for making a decent 3-to-5 minute boiled egg.

The harder you like your egg, the longer you boil it. I think the perfect egg is a four-minute egg.

When I was a child, soft-boiled eggs and toast were standard fare for sick days. Mine were usually served with toast points on a small tray by parents who liked to make eating fun.

"Eat light, you'll feel alright," my mother used to say.

I still use my egg timer; it's been with me since college.

Want to boil a slightly harder egg? Martha Stewart shows you how, in her inimitable style. She's not using an hourglass timer, but she seems to agree on length of boiling time.

Here's another link to help you make perfect eggs, time after time.