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CookingCalculator.CO.UK

How we work out the numbers

Our method, our sources, and the safety rules that override convenience.

Last reviewed 10 September 2026.

Method

Each food has a structured rule: a base oven temperature, minutes per kilogram, any fixed extra allowance, an acceptable oven temperature range, a safe core temperature where one applies, and a resting time. A cooking time is that rule applied to the weight you enter: never an estimate produced on the spot.

The meal planner uses the same rules. When two dishes want different oven temperatures it only suggests a shared temperature if both dishes' acceptable ranges genuinely overlap. If they do not, it suggests sequencing, using the resting window, or a second appliance rather than splitting the difference.

Time is never proof of safety

Cooking times are a guide. Ovens, joints and starting temperatures vary, so always check the food itself: steaming hot throughout, and on poultry, pork and anything made with mince no pink meat with the juices running clear.

If you use a thermometer, Food Standards Agency guidance is that the middle of the food should reach 70°C for two minutes, or an equivalent combination, 60°C for 45 minutes, 65°C for 10 minutes, 75°C for 30 seconds or 80°C for 6 seconds. That is why you will not see a single universal number quoted on this site as the only safe answer.

Fish and shellfish are different again: official UK guidance checks them by sight rather than by temperature, so we give the visual test alongside any quality target.

The safety rules we apply

  • Poultry must be cooked all the way through. Cut into the thickest part and check it is steaming hot, the juices run clear and there is no pink meat. With a food thermometer, the middle should reach 70°C for two minutes, or an equivalent combination such as 75°C for 30 seconds.
  • Pork should be cooked right through, steaming hot, no pink meat and juices running clear. With a thermometer, aim for 70°C for two minutes in the thickest part, or an equivalent such as 75°C for 30 seconds.
  • Whole cuts of beef and lamb can be served pink in the middle provided the outside is fully cooked, because bacteria sit on the surface. Mince, burgers, sausages, kebabs and rolled joints must be cooked all the way through.
  • Mincing or skewering moves surface bacteria right through the meat, so burgers, sausages, kebabs, rolled joints and offal must be cooked all the way through, steaming hot, no pink meat, juices running clear. This applies however good the meat is.
  • Official UK guidance checks fish by sight rather than by a single temperature: the flesh should turn opaque and flake apart easily with a fork. Prawns, scallops, crab and lobster should be firm and opaque, and mussels, clams and oysters should have opened, throw away any that stay shut.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Reheat leftovers until they are steaming hot all the way through, not just warm, and only reheat them once.
  • Cool cooked rice as quickly as possible, ideally within one hour, and do not leave it in the pan or rice cooker to cool. Keep it in the fridge for no more than one day, reheat it only once, and make sure it is steaming hot all the way through.
  • Defrost food in the fridge, not on the worktop, and make sure the middle is fully thawed with no ice crystals left. Partly defrosted food may not cook evenly. Use it within 24 hours of being fully defrosted.
  • A freezer at around -18°C acts as a pause button, so the months given here are about best quality rather than a safety deadline. Freezer burn affects quality, not safety.
  • Brine and marinate in the fridge at 5°C or below, never at room temperature, keep raw meat covered and away from ready-to-eat food, and throw the liquid away after use rather than reusing it.
  • On a barbecue, cook burgers, sausages, chicken and kebabs all the way through (no pink meat, juices running clear) and use separate plates, tongs and boards for raw and cooked meat. Charring the outside does not mean the middle is done.

Sources

Each safety claim links to the section of official guidance that actually says it, rather than to a general landing page. Roasting times themselves combine Food Standards Agency doneness advice with commonly published UK joint timings. Where guidance from an official source exists we use it in preference to anything else, and safety wording always overrides convenience. We would rather tell you to cook two dishes in sequence than suggest a shortcut that guidance does not support.

Telling us about a problem

If a figure looks wrong, or a source link has moved, please tell us. Safety wording is reviewed before anything else on this site.