Timer

A kitchen utensil that is made to measure units of time for cooking or for the preparation of foods. Timers may be automatic or self-contained indicators. Automatic times are run by electricity, batteries or spring mechanisms that generally have a dial or digital indicator that can be set and indicates with a buzz or bell that the time has elapsed. Self-contained timers are built to measure only specific lengths of time such as 1, 2 or 3 minutes. A self-contained timer may use color changes or sand particles that are visible to indicate a specific amount of time has elapsed.