Cooking Time Conversion
Free Cooking Time Conversion calculator with clear step-by-step results.
About Cooking Time Conversion
Cooking rates follow a temperature coefficient: each 10 C rise roughly doubles the rate of the chemical changes involved. Raising the doubling factor to the power of the temperature change divided by ten gives the rate ratio, and dividing the original time by it gives the new time.
Formulas
Rate ratio
Ratio = Q10 ^ ((new temp - old temp) / 10)
Adjusted time
New time = original time / rate ratio
Worked example
With the default values below, Cooking Time Conversion returns Cooking time at the new temperature of 180.0. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Time at the original temperatureminimum 1 min
- 45 min
- Original temperatureaccepts 60–300 C
- 180 C
- New temperatureaccepts 60–300 C
- 160 C
- Rate doubling per 10 C (Q10)accepts 1.2–4
- 2
Results
- Cooking time at the new temperature
- 180.0 min
- Change in cooking time
- 135.0 min
- Cooking rate ratio
- 0.250 x
- New time in hours
- 3.00 h
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Rate ratio
- 3Adjusted time
- 4Cooking time at the new temperature= 180.0 min
- 5Change in cooking time= 135.0 min
- 6Cooking rate ratio= 0.250 x
- 7New time in hours= 3.00 h
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this work for any dish?
It is reliable for braises, slow roasts and custards where heat penetration governs. It works poorly for anything driven by surface browning or leavening, such as puff pastry or souffles.
What Q10 should I use?
Two is the standard assumption for cooking chemistry. Enzyme-driven and starch-gelatinisation steps sit nearer 1.5-2.5, so stay in that band unless you have measured otherwise.