Set the timer to 68 minutes

How to use the online timer

A slow cooker set for 68 minutes is meant to be left alone, which is exactly why a separate timer running on your phone or laptop is handy for knowing when to check back in. Start it when you switch the cooker on, get on with your day, and come back to lift the lid only once the countdown's finished rather than every hour. Patience pays off with slow-cooked food.

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 kitchen timer only works in the kitchen, and a phone timer competes with texts, calls, and every other app fighting for your attention. Keeping the countdown in a browser tab sidesteps both problems: it goes wherever your laptop or phone goes, and it isn't trying to notify you about anything else. Minimise it, work on something else, and it'll be counting when you check back. If you would rather say put a timer on for 68 minutes, that works too — press Start and the page does the rest.