Set the timer to 101 seconds

How to use the online timer

Getting eggs exactly how you like them comes down to timing, and 101 seconds is a starting point plenty of people use for soft yolks with just-set whites. Drop the eggs in once the water's rolling, start the timer straight away, and pull them out the moment it finishes rather than leaving them to keep cooking in the hot water. A few seconds either way changes the whole result.

Hit Start whenever you're ready and the timer runs on its own from there, no further clicking required until it finishes. It only counts while the tab stays open, so leave it running in the background rather than closing the browser or navigating away if you need the time to stay accurate. Once it reaches zero, an alarm sound lets you know without you having to keep checking the page.

There's something to be said for a timer that doesn't try to sell you a premium version or bury the start button behind ads you have to swipe past. This one lives in a browser tab, plain and straightforward, doing exactly what it says and nothing else. You can leave the tab minimised while you get on with things, and it'll keep counting until it's time to let you know. If you would rather say put a timer on for 101 seconds, that works too — press Start and the page does the rest.