Scaling a known tested time
The tool multiplies a reference cooking time by the new-weight/reference-weight ratio raised to an adjustable exponent. The default 0.5 square-root exponent acknowledges that heating does not always grow linearly with mass. It is a planning estimate only for the same product type, starting temperature, method, and general shape. It cannot decide doneness or food safety.
A 1.5 kg item from a 1 kg reference
If a 1.0 kg roast takes 60 minutes under a tested method, 1.5 kg at exponent 0.5 gives 60 × sqrt(1.5), about 73 minutes. That is when to begin checking, not a removal time. A long thin 1.5 kg cut can cook faster than a compact thick one because heat travels a shorter distance to the centre.
Weight is not the whole heat path
Equal masses can have different thickness, bone, fat, skin, stuffing, and surface area. Whole poultry, cut pieces, and rolled meat do not share a useful weight-only schedule. Frozen food, a cold pan, crowded water, altitude, fan circulation, and oven recovery after opening also change time. Select product and method honestly; kilograms cannot reveal them.
Check temperature or method-specific doneness
Time says when to check. A reliable thermometer, appropriate texture test, and official product instruction determine whether food is done. Follow food-safety guidance especially for poultry, ground meat, leftovers, and vulnerable people. Measure the thickest relevant part without touching bone or pan. Colour alone is not a reliable safety test.
Boiling and baking are different systems
A pot may need to return to a boil before the reference clock starts. A covered braise, uncovered roast, fan oven, and steam-heavy bake transfer heat differently. Pasta, eggs, vegetables, and seafood can overcook rapidly even if their mass is small. The result is therefore an estimated check time, not a cooking programme.
Not temperature conversion
The oven converter changes Fahrenheit to Celsius and can suggest a fan adjustment. This page scales a known time to another weight. It does not convert temperatures, select an internal temperature, or tell a cook to use convection. Set equipment with method-specific guidance, then use this result only to start checks for a comparable item.
Keep a usable reference record
Record original weight, shape, starting condition, oven or water setting, pan, covered state, and actual thermometer or texture result. A bare note saying ‘60 minutes’ is weak evidence for the next cook. Scale only within a comparable preparation. This browser calculation sends no recipe data away, but it cannot assess storage history, appliance accuracy, or contamination; when time and a thermometer disagree, investigate rather than trust the rounded output.