keetmisaeg

Keetmisaeg is an Estonian term literally translating to "boiling time" and refers to the duration required to cook food by boiling. In cooking practice, it denotes how long a piece of food should be boiled to reach a desired texture or doneness. The term is used in recipes, culinary guidance, and product labeling to help standardize results. Keetmisaeg can depend on several factors including the type of food, its size or thickness, the starting temperature of the food, and the strength of the heat source. Typically, keetmisaeg is counted from the moment the liquid has returned to a full boil after adding the food, though some recipes count from the moment of adding the food to boiling water.

Common examples: eggs, pasta, vegetables, shellfish. For eggs, large eggs boiled in water that is already at a boil yield soft texture in about 4-6 minutes, medium around 7-9 minutes, and hard in roughly 9-12 minutes. Dried pasta generally requires about 8-12 minutes, depending on shape and desired firmness; fresh pasta cooks faster. Vegetables vary widely but many vegetables are tender in about 3-8 minutes when cut into uniform pieces; root vegetables may take longer. Shellfish such as shrimp can cook in 2-4 minutes.

Because altitude lowers boiling point and can extend cook times, keetmisaeg is often adjusted at higher elevations. In practice, cooks reference recipe times or test texture to calibrate the precise duration for their equipment and conditions.