How to use the cooking time by weight calculator
- Enter the weight of the roast or bird and choose pounds or kilograms.
- Enter the minutes per pound from your recipe or the package. If it gives a range, fill in the shortest and the longest. The 20 and 25 shown are examples.
- Open More options to add extra minutes for a fixed time in the recipe, the resting time and the time you want to serve.
- Read the cooking time range, the time including rest and the window in which to start.
Formula
Pounds = kilograms x 2.2046226218
Cooking time = pounds x minutes per pound + extra minutes
Start time = serving time - resting time - cooking time
The shortest time gives the latest start and the longest time the earliest start. Times are rounded to the minute. A start before midnight is labeled as the day before.
A 5 pound roast served at 6:00 PM
At 20 to 25 minutes per pound, cooking takes 5 x 20 = 100 minutes to 5 x 25 = 125 minutes, which is 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes. With 15 minutes of rest, the total is 1 hour 55 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes. To serve at 6:00 PM, start between 3:40 PM and 4:05 PM.
In kilograms, 2.3 kg is 5.071 pounds. At 18 to 22 minutes per pound that is 91 to 112 minutes, so with 10 minutes of rest and a serving time of noon you start between 9:58 AM and 10:19 AM. A 22 pound item at 15 minutes per pound plus 30 extra minutes takes exactly 6 hours; resting for 20 minutes and serving at 5:00 AM means a start at 10:40 PM the day before.
Use the planning time, then use a thermometer
Minutes per pound is a rule of thumb for how long a cut takes in an oven at a given setting. It is useful for knowing when to start, but it does not tell you when food is safe. The shape of the cut, how cold it starts, the pan, the oven and whether it is stuffed all change the time. Use a food thermometer and the safe internal temperature that your recipe or food safety authority gives for that meat, and let the time estimate guide when you start checking.
For a bird with a tested table and thaw plan, the Turkey Cooking Time Calculator has its own guidance. If your oven has a fan, the Convection Oven Conversion Calculator adjusts the settings.
Planning the whole meal
Resting time matters. Large cuts keep cooking and the juices settle during the rest, so build it into the schedule rather than serving the moment they leave the oven. Work backward from the serving time, as this tool does, and add the time for sides that share the oven. To know how much raw meat to buy for a number of servings, the Raw to Cooked Meat Weight Calculator converts servings into a weight, and the Recipe Scaler resizes the rest of the recipe.
Assumptions and limits
- The minutes per pound and the extra minutes are the numbers you enter. The values shown are examples, not guidance for any meat.
- The oven is preheated and set as the recipe says.
- Cooking time grows in proportion to weight, which is only roughly true for very small or very large pieces.
- Nothing is stored or sent from your browser.
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out cooking time from weight?
Multiply the weight in pounds by the minutes per pound from your recipe, and add any fixed extra time. A 5 pound roast at 20 minutes per pound takes 100 minutes.
What if my recipe gives a range?
Enter the shortest and longest minutes per pound. The result shows a time range and a window for the start time, so you can start at the early end and be ready.
Can I use kilograms?
Yes. The tool converts to pounds with 2.2046226218 pounds per kilogram before it multiplies, because the rate is per pound.
Does this tell me when the meat is done?
No. It is a planning tool for when to start. Check doneness with a food thermometer and the safe temperature from a source you trust for that meat.