Set the timer to 167 seconds

How to use the online timer

Getting eggs exactly how you like them comes down to timing, and 167 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.

Press Start and it gets going immediately, no sign-up screen or settings menu standing in the way. The one thing to remember is that it counts down inside this browser tab, so it needs to stay open rather than closed or replaced by another site if you want an accurate result. A sound plays once the time is up, which is your cue that whatever you were timing is done.

A browser timer beats digging out the one kitchen timer that's always gone missing, and it's one less thing cluttering your phone alongside a dozen apps you barely open. Everything runs here in the tab, so there's no download, no account, and no permissions to grant before you can start it. Free, with no registration, it's ready the moment you load the page and gone the moment you close it. If you would rather say put a timer on for 167 seconds, that works too — press Start and the page does the rest.