Cooking Timer Calculator

By setting your desired serving time and entering each cooking stage, the calculator tells you exactly when to start. The steps are added up as a sequential timeline (preheat, then cook, then rest, then plate), so enter the stages of one dish rather than several dishes that share the oven at the same time. To coordinate parallel dishes for a roast dinner, work out each dish's own start time separately — serving time minus that dish's own cook time.

Yes, include oven preheating as your first step if relevant. Most ovens take 10-15 minutes to preheat. For very high temperatures or Aga-style ovens, the time may differ. Add it as step 1.

Always include resting time — it is part of the cooking process. Meat continues to cook during resting (the core temperature rises a few degrees) and the juices redistribute. Use the resting time field for this. During the rest, you can cook last-minute items like Yorkshire puddings. Check doneness with a meat thermometer: the UK Food Standards Agency advises chicken, turkey, pork and minced meats reach 75 degrees C in the centre (or 70 degrees C held for 2 minutes), while whole beef and lamb joints can be served from about 52 degrees C rare to 71 degrees C well done.

Yes. For baking, steps might be: mixing time, proving/rising time, shaping time, second rise, and baking time. Each step can be entered separately to get a complete schedule.

This calculator schedules one sequential timeline, so run it once per dish (or once for the longest dish and slot the others inside it). For each dish, work backwards from your shared serving time: start time = serving time minus that dish's own cook time plus resting. Start with the dish that takes longest, then add the shorter ones later so they all finish together. Most vegetables and sides can be kept warm in a low oven (around 80 degrees C) for 15-20 minutes if one finishes early.