Cooking Time Calculator
Find how long to roast a turkey, chicken or joint, and when to start.
A 14 lb turkey takes 3 h to 3 h 45 min at 325 °F. It is done when the thickest part of the breast, the innermost thigh and the wing all read 165 °F. Thaw it in the fridge for 2.8 to 3.5 days, or roast it from frozen and allow at least 50% longer. To eat at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, have it in the oven by Thu 11:55 a.m.
Times are estimates. A food thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone, is what tells you it is done.
Your cooking day
Move the sliders to replanThe oven goes on at 11:35 a.m. to reach 325 °F, and the food goes in at 11:55 a.m. It cooks for at least 3 h and at most 3 h 45 min; the first thermometer check is 2 h 30 min after it goes in. Then it rests 20 minutes before carving.
The plan
| Step | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Move it to the fridge to thaw | Sun | 11:35 p.m. |
| Preheat the oven to 325 °F | Thu | 11:35 a.m. |
| Into the oven | Thu | 11:55 a.m. |
| First thermometer check | Thu | 2:25 p.m. |
| Out of the oven, at the latest | Thu | 3:40 p.m. |
| Carve and serve | Thu | 4:00 p.m. |
Planned for the longest time, with 20 minutes to preheat and a first check 30 minutes before the shortest time. These are planning allowances, not safety rules.
Turkey by weight
| Weight | Unstuffed | Stuffed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 lb | 2 h 45 min to 3 h | 3 h to 3 h 30 min |
| 10 lb | 2 h 45 min to 3 h | 3 h to 3 h 30 min |
| 12 lb | 2 h 45 min to 3 h | 3 h to 3 h 30 min |
| 14 lb | 3 h to 3 h 45 min | 3 h 30 min to 4 h |
| 16 lb | 3 h 45 min to 4 h 15 min | 4 h to 4 h 15 min |
| 18 lb | 3 h 45 min to 4 h 15 min | 4 h to 4 h 15 min |
| 20 lb | 4 h 15 min to 4 h 30 min | 4 h 15 min to 4 h 45 min |
| 22 lb | 4 h 30 min to 5 h | 4 h 45 min to 5 h 15 min |
| 24 lb | 4 h 30 min to 5 h | 4 h 45 min to 5 h 15 min |
USDA FSIS timetable for a thawed turkey at 325 °F. Your weight is in bold.
Safe internal temperatures
| Food | Safe at | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Poultry: whole, pieces, ground | 165 °F | None needed |
| Stuffing, in or out of the bird | 165 °F | None needed |
| Beef, pork, veal, lamb roasts and chops | 145 °F | 3 min |
| Ground beef, pork, veal, lamb | 160 °F | None needed |
| Fish | 145 °F | None needed |
USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures, as listed on FoodSafety.gov. Your food is in bold.
No time for the fridge? In cold water, changed every 30 minutes, 14 lb thaws in about 7 h. Cook it right away.
How it's worked out
Turkey follows the timetable that the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service publishes for a thawed bird in a 325 °F oven. The table goes up in weight bands, so a 13 lb and a 14 lb turkey get the same range. A stuffed bird has its own, longer table, because the stuffing in the middle has to reach a safe temperature too.
| Turkey weight | Unstuffed | Stuffed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 lb | 2.75 to 3 h | 3 to 3.5 h |
| 12 to 14 lb | 3 to 3.75 h | 3.5 to 4 h |
| 14 to 18 lb | 3.75 to 4.25 h | 4 to 4.25 h |
| 18 to 20 lb | 4.25 to 4.5 h | 4.25 to 4.75 h |
| 20 to 24 lb | 4.5 to 5 h | 4.75 to 5.25 h |
Chicken, beef, pork and lamb use minutes per pound at a set oven temperature:
A whole chicken takes 20 to 25 minutes a pound at 350 °F, a bone-in beef rib roast 23 to 25 at 325 °F, a pork loin about 20 at 350 °F and a leg of lamb 20 to 25 at 325 °F. Fish goes by thickness instead of weight: about 10 minutes for each inch at the thickest point, in a hot oven.
For the plan, the tool counts back from the time you want to eat. It takes off the resting time, then the longest cooking time, then about 20 minutes for the oven to heat. If the bird is frozen, it also takes off the fridge thawing time and tells you the day to start.
Worked examples
Thanksgiving dinner at 4 p.m.
Maria bought a 14 lb turkey and it is in the freezer. Unstuffed, it roasts for 3 h to 3 h 45 min at 325 °F, then rests 20 minutes. To eat at 4 p.m. on Thursday she puts it in at 11:55 a.m. and turns the oven on at 11:35 a.m.
Thawing in the fridge takes 24 hours for every 4 to 5 lb, so 2.8 to 3.5 days. Planning for the longer time, the bird moves to the fridge on Sunday at 11:35 p.m. Stuffed, the same bird would need 3 h 30 min to 4 h.
A roast chicken on a weeknight
Sam has a 4 lb chicken and wants dinner at 7 p.m. At 350 °F it takes 1 h 20 min to 1 h 40 min, plus 15 minutes of rest. Planning for the longer time, it goes in at 5:05 p.m. The USDA chart gives 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes for a 3 to 4 lb bird, so start checking the thigh early.
A salmon fillet one inch thick
At 450 °F, a fillet an inch thick at its thickest point takes 8 to 10 minutes. Start checking at the low end. A thicker piece of 1.5 inches needs 12 to 15 minutes. Fish has no resting time, so it goes straight to the plate.
Reading your result
The big number is a range of cooking time. Ovens run hot or cool, roasting pans differ, and a bird straight from a cold fridge takes longer than one that sat out a little. That is why the tool plans for the longest time and puts a first thermometer check before the shortest one.
The time is only a guide. Food is safe when its inside reaches the USDA minimum: 165 °F (74 °C) for turkey, chicken and stuffing, and 145 °F (63 °C) for beef, pork, lamb and fish. Whole cuts of meat then rest at least 3 minutes. Ground meat needs 160 °F.
Put the thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle. In a turkey, check three places: the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh and the innermost part of the wing. All three must reach the safe temperature.
The plan table lists each step with its weekday and clock time, so a thaw that starts days earlier lands on the right day. Change the serving time with the slider under the timeline, and every step moves with it. Export the plan as a spreadsheet file or print it and stick it on the fridge.
Resting is part of the plan, not dead time. A turkey rests 20 minutes and a rib roast 15. During that time the oven is free for side dishes and rolls.
Common mistakes
- Starting the thaw too late. A 20 lb turkey needs 4 to 5 days in the fridge. If it is still frozen on the day, use cold water at about 30 minutes a pound, or roast it from frozen and allow at least 50% longer.
- Thawing on the counter. The outside warms into the range where bacteria grow fast while the middle is still frozen. Use the fridge or cold water only.
- Trusting the pop-up timer. Some turkeys come with one, but a food thermometer in three places is the reliable check.
- Forgetting the stuffing. Stuffing inside the bird must reach 165 °F in its center. Many cooks bake it in a separate dish, which also lets the bird cook faster.
- Carving straight away. A 4 lb rib roast at 325 °F takes 1 h 32 min to 1 h 40 min, and it still needs its rest so the juices settle. Cut it at once and they run out on the board.
- Planning for the shortest time. A 22 lb turkey takes 4 h 30 min to 5 h. Plan for the long end; a bird that finishes early stays hot under loose foil while it rests.
Questions people ask
Sources
- FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart
- USDA FSIS, Let's Talk Turkey: A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey (timetable)
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canadian cooking theory (10 minutes per inch)
Maintained by Anil ShahUpdated October 28, 2026Checked against 13 reference values