Cooking times
Cooking times worked out from the weight of what you are cooking, with temperatures, resting times and how to check it is done.
34 calculators in this section
Whole roasts and joints (12)
- Chicken Cooking Time CalculatorRoasting time and temperature for a whole chicken, by weight.
- Turkey Cooking Time CalculatorHow long to cook a turkey, including resting time.
- Turkey Crown Cooking Time CalculatorRoasting times for a turkey crown by weight, with resting time.
- Beef Roasting Time CalculatorRoasting times for beef, rare through to well done.
- Beef Brisket Cooking Time CalculatorLow and slow roasting times for beef brisket by weight.
- Lamb Roasting Time CalculatorRoasting times for leg and shoulder of lamb.
- Pork Roasting Time CalculatorRoasting times for pork, with crackling guidance.
- Pork Belly Cooking Time CalculatorSlow-roasting times for pork belly, with the high-heat blast for crackling.
- Gammon Cooking Time CalculatorWork out how long to cook a gammon joint by weight, with glazing time included.
- Duck Cooking Time CalculatorRoasting times for a whole duck, with crisp skin and the fat poured off.
- Goose Cooking Time CalculatorRoasting times for a whole goose, and how many it really feeds.
- Venison Cooking Time CalculatorRoasting times for a venison haunch or loin joint, with doneness options.
Cuts, pieces and grills (7)
- Chicken Breast Cooking Time CalculatorHow long to cook chicken breast in the oven, a pan, the grill or an air fryer.
- Chicken Thigh Cooking Time CalculatorCooking times for bone-in and boneless chicken thighs by method.
- Chicken Wing Cooking Time CalculatorHow long to cook chicken wings in the oven or an air fryer, whole or split.
- Steak Cooking Time CalculatorPan timings for steak by cut, thickness and how you like it cooked.
- Burger Cooking Time CalculatorHow long to cook beef burgers by thickness, in a pan, on the grill, in the oven or an air fryer.
- Sausage Cooking Time CalculatorOven, pan, grill, air fryer and barbecue times for sausages of any size.
- Bacon Cooking Time CalculatorHow long to cook bacon in a pan, the oven, under the grill or in an air fryer.
Fish and seafood (5)
- Salmon Cooking Time CalculatorHow long to bake, foil-wrap or pan-fry oily salmon fillets, steaks or a whole side, staying moist rather than dry.
- Cod Cooking Time CalculatorHow long to cook cod (a thick, flaky white fillet usually chunkier than haddock) in the oven, a pan or an air fryer, including from frozen.
- Haddock Cooking Time CalculatorHow long to cook haddock (a thinner, flakier white fillet than cod) in the oven, a pan or an air fryer, poached or breadcrumbed.
- Fish Cooking Time CalculatorThe general by-thickness or by-weight method for any fillet, steak or whole fish, for species without their own page.
- Prawn Cooking Time CalculatorHow long raw prawns take to cook (shellfish ready in minutes, not the tens of minutes a fish fillet needs) with the firm, opaque check.
Everyday staples (8)
- Pasta Cooking Time CalculatorCooking times, water and salt for every pasta shape, dried or fresh.
- Rice Cooking Time and Water CalculatorRice and water quantities plus simmering and standing times by rice type.
- Egg Boiling CalculatorSoft, jammy or hard boiled eggs, adjusted for size and fridge temperature.
- Baked Potato Cooking Time CalculatorJacket potato times by weight, in the oven or the air fryer.
- Boiled Potato Cooking Time CalculatorHow long to boil potatoes whole, in chunks or as new potatoes.
- Roast Potato CalculatorHow many potatoes to buy, how long to parboil and how long to roast.
- Roast Vegetable Cooking Time CalculatorRoasting times and temperatures for each vegetable, so a tray finishes together.
- Steaming and Boiling Time CalculatorSteaming and boiling times for everyday vegetables.
Appliance conversions (2)
Time is a guide, not a guarantee
Ovens vary, joints vary and fridge temperatures vary. Always check food is properly cooked rather than trusting the clock alone.
What actually changes the time
Weight sets the time for a whole joint, thickness sets it for a steak, a fillet or a chicken breast, and the method changes both. A fan oven cooks as though it were about 20°C hotter, so recipes written for a conventional oven are set 20°C lower in a fan oven. A fridge-cold joint takes longer than a rested one, and stuffing a bird adds time because the heat has further to travel.
Checking and resting
Check at the thickest part, away from bone. Poultry and pork should show clear juices and no pink meat; whole cuts of beef and lamb can be served pink if you prefer. Resting lets the heat even out and the juices settle, and a large joint keeps cooking for a while after it leaves the oven, which is why our schedules build the rest in rather than adding it as an afterthought.
Questions and answers
Common questions about cooking times
How accurate is a cooking time calculator?
Accurate enough to plan around, but not accurate enough to serve by. Every time on this site comes from a written rule (minutes per kilogram, a fixed extra allowance, an oven temperature and a resting time) so the same weight always gives the same answer.
Ovens run hot or cool, joints vary in shape, and food straight from the fridge takes longer than food that has stood for half an hour. Treat the calculated time as when to start checking.
Food safety
Cooking times are a guide only. Ovens, joints and starting temperatures vary, so always check the food is cooked before serving rather than relying on the clock.
Source: Food Standards Agency, Cooking your food: cooking temperatures and times (GOV.UK) · Reviewed 2026-09-11 · Guidance version 2.0.0
Does a fan oven cook food faster than a conventional oven?
A fan oven cooks more evenly and is usually set about 20°C lower than a conventional oven for the same dish. The calculators here ask which oven you have and give the temperature for that oven, so you do not have to convert anything yourself.
Why does the weight of the meat change the cooking time?
Heat travels in from the surface, so a thicker piece of meat takes longer for the middle to come up to temperature. That is why roasting times are given as minutes per kilogram plus a fixed extra allowance: the allowance covers the ends and the fixed heat-up, and the per-kilogram part covers the depth.
When should I use a food thermometer?
Whenever you are cooking something where being wrong matters: whole birds, large joints, rolled joints, burgers and sausages. It removes the guesswork of judging colour and juices, and it is the only reliable way to check the middle of a thick piece of meat.
Food safety
Cooking times are a guide only. Ovens, joints and starting temperatures vary, so always check the food is cooked before serving rather than relying on the clock.
Source: Food Standards Agency, Cooking your food: cooking temperatures and times (GOV.UK) · Reviewed 2026-09-11 · Guidance version 2.0.0
Does meat keep cooking while it rests?
Yes. The outside is hotter than the middle when the joint comes out, and that heat keeps moving inwards for a while, so the centre temperature usually rises a little as it rests. Resting also lets the juices settle so less runs out when you carve.
Can I cook several dishes in the oven at the same time?
Usually yes, if they can share a temperature and the oven is not so full that the air cannot move. The problem is rarely space. It is dishes wanting different temperatures, and everything wanting the oven in the last half hour.
Should I take meat out of the fridge before cooking it?
Letting a joint stand for around 30 minutes before it goes in helps it cook more evenly, and the times here assume meat that is not fridge-cold. Do not leave raw meat standing in a warm kitchen for hours to try to shorten the cooking time.
Food safety
Cool cooked food at room temperature and get it into the fridge within one to two hours. Eat leftovers within two days, or freeze them. Your fridge should be between 0 and 5°C.
Source: Food Standards Agency, How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely: chilling food (GOV.UK) · Reviewed 2026-09-11 · Guidance version 2.0.0
How do I make a roast dinner all finish at the same time?
Work out each dish on its own calculator, add it to My Meal, then choose the time you want to eat. You get one running order with start times, oven temperatures and a warning if two dishes clash or there is not enough time left.
Guidance
Guides for this section
- How to Roast a ChickenBuying the right size bird, the oven temperature to use, how long it needs, how to tell it is done, and what to do with what is left.
- How to Roast BeefChoosing a joint, searing, rare through to well done, why beef is timed differently from chicken, and how long to rest it.
- How to Cook a Turkey for ChristmasA full Christmas turkey plan: what size to buy, how many days it needs to defrost, when to put it in, and how to keep the rest of the dinner moving around it.