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Timers: Kitchen Tools, Productivity Aids and Much More

Timers are often used in the kitchen, but they’re also helpful in numerous other ways. For example, I use one to remind me to get up from my desk so I don’t sit for hours on end. Fans of the Pomodoro Technique structure their work time into 25-minute segments, taking a break when the timer goes off. Some people set timers to make sure they don’t spend too much time going down rabbit holes on the web. Others set timers to remember to take their pills. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. 

And many end users prefer a physical timer to an app on their smartphones. I’ve discussed timers before, but many others have since caught my eye.

The Brabantia magnetic timer is simple to use. The end user just presses reset, turns the knob right or left to set the time—counting up to or down from 99 minutes, whichever is quicker, in 10-second intervals—and then presses start. The timer turns into a count-up timer after it goes off, so the end user knows how long ago the timer went off.

The Tribesigns digital timer is very similar to the Barbatia, with three main differences. No. 1: The magnets on the original design weren’t strong enough to hold the timer in place when the dial was being turned, but a redesign has fixed that problem. No. 2: The seconds are shown in small type below the minutes. This will be nice for end users who are primarily concerned with full-minute intervals, and annoying to those who often care about the seconds. No. 3: The functions are indicated with icons rather than words, which might be confusing to some end users. 

The KitchenAid digital timer is a more conventional countertop design. End users can set hours and minutes, but not seconds; that will work for some end users and not others. The buttons beep when pushed unless the end user holds one of the buttons down for about five seconds; a lot of purchasers never discover this option and complain about the many loud beeps they endure when setting the time.

Sometimes an end user needs more than a single timer. The double timer sold by Uncommon Goods looks cool, but it has a couple design flaws. The timer only rings for a short time (one purchaser said 3-5 seconds) rather than the 60 seconds found on the Brabantia and Tribesigns products, which means it may be easily missed. And there’s nothing to distinguish the two sides. As one purchaser said, “If you’re busy and forget which side is which, it can be more confusing than not having a timer at all." 

The OXO Triple Timer may not look like much, but it’s very functional and gets high marks for ease of use. The three timer settings—which include hours, minutes and seconds—are all visible at a glance. They’re set by pressing numbers on the keypad; end users don’t need to press a button 30 times to get 30 minutes as they would with the KitchenAid timer. (They just press 3000 for 30 minutes and zero seconds.) And it’s smart enough to know that 90 and 130 both mean one minute and 30 seconds. The buttons just need a light press; a purchaser with rheumatoid arthritis said she used it without any problem.

Each timer has a different sound, so it’s obvious which timer just went off. It also beeps for a long time: continuously for 30 seconds, then one beep every 10 seconds for 10 minutes. However, some people say the timer isn’t loud enough—a common complaint with many timers. As with the magnetic timers, it starts counting up after it hits the selected time. 

One minor drawback: A number of purchasers have said because it’s so lightweight and/or because the front feet are too far back, the timer is unstable when setting the time—even though it has non-slip feet. These purchasers either did some kludges to make it more stable, or just decided to use two hands when setting the timer. 

The chef’s quad timer professional from American Innovative is the opposite of intuitive, at least at first glance, but Cook’s Illustrated says people really like it once they figure it out. As Cook’s explains: "You determine which of the four timers you will set by turning the central silver knob to point at a number, from 1-4, then set the time by turning the black rubbery (unmarked) dial that surrounds the central knob. Then push the cross-shaped button marked ‘Start/Pause.’ The corresponding light will turn green to tell you which timer has been set, (and later red when it goes off).”

This timer is tailored specifically to cooks—and for those who are willing to learn the interface, it has a number of advantages. Amazingly, purchasers agree the alarm is loud enough. The timer is designed to track four burners on a stove, with the alarm positions mimicking the usual four stovetop burner positions. It has a batch function which recalls the last time set, making it easy to time multiple batches of cookies, for example. And it sets times up to 24 hours out.

Drawbacks: There’s no way to set seconds. Also, times of 1-30 minutes can be set at one-minute intervals, but after that the end user is limited to five-minute intervals. And after two hours, the intervals go to 15 minutes per click. This makes it faster to set times using the dial, but it also means that someone who wants to set the timer for 32 minutes is out of luck.

Wearable timers can be great for end users who might not hear a timer in one room as they move around the house. The Joseph Joseph clip timer can attach onto an apron or another piece of clothing; it also comes with a cord so you can wear it around your neck. But a number of purchasers say the little buttons are hard to press (except for those with long fingernails).

Another wearable option is the TimeStick from ThermoWorks, with its 38-inch lanyard and many thoughtful design touches. Cook’s Illustrated notes that the direct numerical entry is faster than other methods of setting a timer—and also notes that are no little crevices, so it’s easy to clean. ThermoWorks says its keypad is splash-proof, which is handy. And the end user can choose to lock the keypad, preventing accidental key presses.

Royal VKB has an unusual kitchen timer, designed by Koens & Middelkoop; it’s incorporated into a paper towel holder. It’s a space-saving timer, since it sits atop a holder the end user would already be using. But it lacks flexibility, since the timer has to be where the paper towels are, which may not be convenient. 

Another kind of timer is the hourglass. The Productivity Timing Hourglass from Uncommon Goods runs for 25 minutes—the length of the work intervals in the Pomodoro Technique. So while hourglasses lack flexibility, handling only one time interval, this one makes more sense than many since it fits the needs of a specific set of end users. It’s also good for those who find the sound of a timer alarm annoying.

The “sand” in this hourglass is actually made of metal, and purchasers say it makes a nice sound as it runs through the hourglass. One purchaser noted he could place a small magnet near the neck to pause the timer. 

Paradox makes timers that flow from bottom to top. While that’s intriguing, it doesn’t provide any practical advantage.

Paradox says that the running times on its hourglasses aren’t exact. “The running times of the individual models are approximations: the viscosity of liquids depends strongly on the ambient temperature and the pellets have different diameters and, depending on the colour, also different weights.” Fortunately the tea timer doesn’t depend on exact times. However, given how unevenly the pellets disperse, I’d be hard pressed to know when my tea was ready.