Your 12 minute timer is ready
The timer is already set to 12 minutes. Press Start and the countdown begins: the digits, the progress bar and the tab title all show the time left. When it reaches zero, the sound rings until you stop it. Twelve minutes fits a pot of basmati rice, a group activity in class or one of the best-known running tests.
What a 12 minute timer is good for
- Basmati rice: Rinsed basmati usually simmers, covered, for about 10 to 12 minutes. The Rice preset in Cooking is set to 11.
- Cooper test: Run as far as you can in 12 minutes, then compare your distance with the tables for your age.
- Group work: Enough time for a small group to discuss a question and agree on an answer.
- Roasted asparagus: Thin spears roast at 400°F in about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Mini muffins: Many recipes bake in about 10 to 12 minutes. Check with a toothpick.
- Inbox triage: Answer, archive or schedule every message until the sound.
- Extra-firm eggs: Twelve minutes from the fridge gives a dry, crumbly yolk for grating over a salad. The egg timer page has the full chart.
12 minutes in seconds, and what fits in them
12 minutes is 720 seconds, one fifth of an hour. In 1968, Dr. Kenneth Cooper created the Cooper test for the U.S. Air Force: run as far as possible in 12 minutes to estimate your aerobic fitness.
A tip for your 12 minutes
For fluffy rice, keep the lid on while it simmers, then let it rest off the heat for 5 minutes before fluffing it with a fork. Start the 5 minute timer for the rest. On a track, press Lap on the stopwatch at each lap to keep an eye on your pace.
How to use the 12 minute timer
- Press Start. The countdown runs from 12 minutes down to zero.
- Pick a sound if you like. Turn the list to hear a bell, a chime, a classic beep, a digital beep or a gentle rise.
- Switch tabs freely. The countdown follows your device clock and stays exact. Keep this tab open to hear the sound.
- Stop the sound at zero, or tap +1 min if you need a little longer.
Need another length? Turn the minute wheel, or tap the digits and type the time on the keypad. The online timer also has presets for cooking, sport and relaxing, and a full screen mode that makes the countdown readable from across the room.