For a perfect soft-boiled egg

This is a perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg.

Being an egg lover, I did some research on the internet and found that many websites that are either incorrect or not complete about the things you need to do to get a perfectly boiled soft-boiled egg.

To cook one certainly requires some trial and error.... no doubt, do to the different sizes of eggs and differences in sea levels. Unless of course you are extremely mathematically inclined, in that case you can follow the formula in this site.

For the rest of us... here are a few tips:

1. The egg should be at room temperature and not straight out from the fridge

2. Start off with your room temperature eggs in enough tap water to cover all the eggs. Most websites will tell you to put your eggs in boiling water. I find this to be wrong - if you do it this way.. most of the time, your eggs will crack or be over or under cooked.

3. Use a medium flame and time the eggs from the time the water starts boiling, time it for 2.5 - 3.5 minutes. Try it out for the precise timing required because either stove is different

4. Run the boiled eggs under cold water or put in a very large bowl of cool water to stop the eggs from cooking further after you've removed it from the flame.

5. Trial and error - you just have to try it out a few times befire you get the knack of cooking a perfect soft-boiled egg.