How much time is required to boil eggs?

Place the eggs in a pan of water such that they submerge entirely in the water. The water should be an inch above the eggs. Add a few drops of vinegar to the water, to prevent the eggs from cracking. The vinegar tip is optional.
Set the flame on high, and bring the water to a boil. Once the water starts bubbling, lower the flame and allow the eggs to cook. You can time the cooking process, depending on how you want your eggs done. If you want the eggs to be full-boiled, you'll need to cook them for 12-14 minutes. If you want a runny yolk and a soft white or what is called quarter-boiled egg, follow the procedure mentioned above for about 6 minutes. Half-boiled eggs take 8-10 minutes to cook. Here the egg-white is firmer and so is the yolk, but they aren't done entirely.

If you want a full-boiled boil egg, you can know if it is done by checking the level of the water. When the water reduces and covers the egg, you get a quarter-boiled egg. When the water level drops below the egg, and part of the egg shows above the water, you get a half-boiled egg. When the water reduces further, and the egg above the water is about a one-rupee coin, you have a full-boiled egg.

Boiling egg requires some practice as timing is the crucial element here as less time will make them half boiled and more time will make them extra hard boiled sometimes spoiling the taste also. The eggs are boiled by immersing them in sufficient water so that at least half to an inch water is above the eggs. In case there are more number of eggs in the same pan then it is advisable to put more water at least one and half inch to two inches above the eggs.

Initially we have to keep them on high heat and as soon as the water starts airing out (just before the boil) which will happen in 2-3 minutes then we have to keep the flame at medium heat and then wait for at least 10-12 minutes and remove the pan from the heat and just keep it like that for a few minutes before peeling them.

Sometimes we use boiled eggs for egg curry or vegetables and in that case if there is time constraint one can even put the content of the egg directly in the boiling vegetable under preparation and in next 8-10 minutes it hardens and almost becomes like a boiled egg while remaining there in the vegetable. Then we can cut it in pieces in-situ and relish the dish.

The time to boil eggs depend upon the condition of the eggs before the boiling. Let me explain. If you take out the eggs directly from the refrigerator and start boiling (which many bachelors do), there will be a crack on the shell of the eggs. It will take more time to boil such eggs. But if you keep the egg outside the refrigerator for thirty minutes before boiling, it will take less time.

Further, eggs completely submerged in the water get boiled quickly. Put some salt in the water. It will prevent cracking of shells and boiling would take less time (why I don't know).

There are several ways to boil eggs. If you find it fun to explore, you should try out different methods to see how each one turns out and decide what works best for you.

The boiling time differs based on the material of the vessel you use to boil the eggs in. Stainless steel, alminium, cast iron all start to heat differently with respect to time. Due to this difference, you may end up either undercooking or overcooking the eggs slightly by a few minutes. To avoid this, it is suggested to put the eggs into the vessel only after the water starts to boil. So this way, the material of the vessel won't matter since the eggs comes into straight contact with boiling water.

Boiling time also depends on what kind of eggs you want; soft-boiled or hard-boiled.

This is the basic procedure:
Fill up a vessel with water such that when you add the eggs, the water level is at least half an inch above the eggs. Bring the water to boil. Now, to prevent the eggs from moving around and cracking, reduce the flame to low and gently place the eggs into water. Turn up the heat once the eggs settle down. Set a timer on your phone. You can boil them anywhere between 6-14 minutes depending how you would like the yolk and white. Eight minutes would give you a soft but firm yolk and firm white; this is somewhat soft-boiled. Fourteen minutes would result in a hard-boiled egg with firm yolk and firm white. If you want runny yolk, cook just for 6 minutes. Once the eggs are done to your liking, immediately place them in a ice water. This serves to purposes; 1. Stops the eggs from cooking further and preserves the texture. 2. Makes peeling easier. You can go by these cooking times to tell when the eggs are done boiling. Alternatively, you can observe when your eggs are turning out perfect and make that your basis.