How to use the online timer
Seven minutes is the middle ground and the setting most people quietly want: white completely set, yolk still soft in the centre but no longer liquid enough to run off the spoon. It suits eggs eaten with bread, eggs halved over a salad, and eggs made in a hurry before a school run, which is most of the eggs anybody actually cooks during the week.
Start counting the moment the egg goes into water that is already boiling properly, not when the pan goes on. Lower it in on a spoon rather than dropping it, keep the water at a lively simmer instead of a violent boil, and have cold water ready for the end. The count runs in this browser tab, so leave the page open on the worktop while you get on with the toast.
Very fresh eggs cling to their shells and tear when peeled, which has nothing to do with how long they were cooked. Eggs a week or two old peel cleanly. Cooling them quickly in cold water for a minute or two also loosens the membrane and stops the yolk carrying on cooking in its own heat while it sits on the counter.
Common questions
Do I count from when the pan goes on or when the egg goes in?
From when the egg goes into water that is already boiling. Counting from the moment the pan went on the heat adds several unpredictable minutes, which is the main reason egg timings feel unreliable.
Why are my eggs impossible to peel?
Almost always because they are very fresh. Eggs a week or two old separate from the shell cleanly, and cooling them in cold water for a minute or two afterwards helps regardless of age.
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