How long do you boil the perfect egg soft and runny?

Put eggs in water and bring to a boil. Remove pot from heat as soon as boiling temperature is reached. Keep the lid on so that the water remains at slightly below boiling point. Recommended times to start with, but you may have to experiment, as the actual time required also depends on the size of the eggs, the number of eggs, the temperature of the eggs when they're placed in the pot, and the temperature of the water: Semi-liquid throughout... cook 2-3 minutes Soft boiled eggs; barely solid outer white; milky inner white; warm yolk; spooned from shell... cook3-5 minutes