Calculate cooking time at 18 minutes per pound from weight, or find weight from time, with pounds, kilograms, ounces, minutes, hours, and seconds.

Estimate time at a fixed rate of 18 minutes per pound.

Use the weight relevant to your cooking method.


Related Calculators

18 Minutes Per Pound Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the total cooking time at 18 minutes per pound.

TT = W ร— 18

Variables:

  • TT is the total time (minutes)
  • W is the weight of the item (pounds)

To calculate the total cooking time at 18 minutes per pound, multiply the weight of the item by 18.

What is the 18 Minutes Per Pound Rule?

The 18 minutes per pound rule is a cooking guideline that suggests cooking certain types of meat for 18 minutes for every pound the meat weighs. It is a simple time estimate based on weight, not a reliable doneness or safety test. Follow a food-specific recipe and verify the appropriate safe internal temperature with a food thermometer.

How to Calculate Total Cooking Time?

The following steps outline how to calculate the total cooking time using the 18 minutes per pound rule.


  1. First, determine the weight of the item (W) in pounds.
  2. Next, use the formula from above = TT = W * 18.
  3. Finally, calculate the Total Time (TT) in minutes.
  4. After inserting the weight and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.

Example Problem : 

Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.

Weight of the item (W) = 5 pounds

Using the 18 minutes per pound rule, the total cooking time (TT) would be 5 pounds * 18 minutes per pound = 90 minutes.