How do you make the perfect soft boiled egg??!! PLEASE HELP URGENT!!!!

PUt the egg in cold water, bring to a rolling boil, time for 3.5 mins, then run under cold water.

Thank you Daisy. Is it 3.5 minutes from boiling point or from cold water?

god, I feel so embarrassed about posting this!!!!

From the rolling boil point. Good luck! Don't feel embarassed.

Thank you Daisy. Is that 3.5 minutes from the boiling point or from starting to boil the water?

I'm not sure what you mean - when the boiling water starts bubbling away vigourously, time from then.

Thank you so much Daisy. I'm off to try it.

Sorry I posted twice, I didn't think the first post had gone on!

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Oh right!?

Hope it worked for you - egg and soldiers ?

My soft-boiled egg method is a bit different - I keep my eggs at room temperature, bring the water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and then lower egg into boiling water, boil for 3 mins 40 secs.

Sorry to put a fly in the ointment but daisys method is incredibly unreliable to pass on to someone, and doesnt take into account the type of pan, thickness of base, how much water, type of metal etc etc. eg if you use a cat iron pan, or any pan with a decent thickness of base, by the time the 3.5 mins is up the egg will be like a bullet.

a far easier way is to bring the water to a rolling boil, place the egg on a dessert spoon and half submerge it. hold is there for about 15 seconds and then slowly put it in. boil it for 4 minutes only, then remove. the first bit is to stop the shel cracking

edited as i forgot to add that the egg should be at room temperature, not fridge temp. if its fridge temp, boil for 5 minutes.

I haven't got the patience to hold it there for 15 secs, hence the salt (and sometimes a drop of vinegar) in the water.

I bow to superior culinary knowledge. I keep my eggs at room temp (good point), and use a really crap habitat pan to do them in. Actually I use one of those egg shaped timers that you put in the water, and 3.5 mins is as long as it takes to make eggs to my taste.

Can confirm that 5 mins into boiling water from fridge makes the perfect egg.

My H has a little egg spiker thing that makes a teeny tiny hole in the egg so you don't have to mess around holding it half submerged - you can just drop it in and it never cracks.

I'd never have bought one myself, but its actually quite useful!

In my defence it was urgent and you lots were all driving home or something.

I can cook but i've never made a decent boiled egg. For <whispers> egg in a cup I like the yolk to be semi solid and I keep making it too runny.

Thank you for all the replies. Well the egg got eaten and no comment was made so I can only assume it was ok (I'm sure I would have been told other wise!). Thank you again Daisy.

The steak, chips, fried onions went well (well actually he came in just as I was going to do the steak so he did that!!). The garlic mushrooms were apparently 'too squishy' WTF !!! The tomatoe was too big to grill apparently, and should have been cut into slice. Still it all got ate so it can't be that bad. I actually feel quite chuffed!!!

Thanks again everybody.