The 9-minute egg

soft-boiled egg

You are a cook in a remote area with no clocks or other way of keeping time other than a four minute hourglass and a seven minute hourglass. You do have a stove however with water in a pot already boiling. Somebody asks you for a nine-minute egg, and you know this person is a perfectionist and will be able to tell if you undercook or overcook the eggs by even a few seconds. What is the least amount of time it will take to prepare the egg?

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