How long should I boil a soft boiled egg?

If you take them cold from the fridge: 4 1/2 minutes. Poke a hole in each end with a pin or an egg pricker. Place egg into gently simmering water. Cover & barely simmer for the 4 1/2 minutes. Place egg in egg cup & open with an Egg Clacker. What's an Egg Clacker, you ask?! Watch this wonky video. Best breakfast gizmo ever! http://youtu.be/bQTSYnKei0A

I drop a room temp large egg into barely boiling water for 4 minutes (at sea level) then rinse off with cold water. White is cooked, yolk is runny.

...what Susan in London said!

I'm also in agreeement on 3 minutes, but I do it this way: I poach the egg and do not serve it in the shell. I use a deep pan and at a very low boil (not a rolling boil) add vinegar and then drop the eggs carefully into the water. The vinegar helps the albumen (egg white) to coagulate.

Use ROOM TEMPERATURE eggs, drop carefully into BOILING water and remove after 3 minutes precisely.

3 minutes.

Start with cold water bring the egg to a boil on medium heat boil for three minutes cool outside of egg under cold water this would also stop the cooking and it would make it easy for you to handle and peel

3 min