They are ready in 5 minutes from the moment the water starts boiling, and you pour them into the water. They have a very good taste and excellent mechanical characteristics, meaning they do not stick together and do not get mushy, which is essentially the problem with most Greek pasta. They are worth their money and you also save on electricity. As soon as you put them to boil and stir them well, you turn off the power, put the lid on, and close the pot, and they boil on their own. However, it takes 5 minutes, not 3 as mentioned on the package.