Been an Email

When do I start each dish?

Enter each dish and when you want to eat: it works out when to start each one and calls out every start, so it all comes out together.

Untitled meal

Keep this tab open. On a phone, keep the screen on.

Dishes

Saved on this device.

How it works

Tell it when you want to eat and how long each dish takes. It lines every dish up to finish at that time and works backwards: a 55-minute dish ready at 7:00 starts at 6:05. A dish can have steps, like roasting then resting, and the rest counts as part of its time.

When the timers run, each start is called out with a sound and a card in the dish's color. Tap "Started" if you're late, and that dish moves; the timer offers to move dinner so the rest still finish together. If an oven dish clashes with another at a different temperature, you'll see when.

Our rule of thumb: when a recipe gives a range, plan with the longer time. USDA's turkey times are approximate and a thermometer decides; a bird that's done early can rest longer under foil.

Times come from the clock, so the plan stays right if you switch tabs. A web page can't ring in a pocket, though: keep this tab open and the screen on. Meals stay on this device unless you share a link.

Questions people ask

How do I get everything ready at the same time?
Work backwards: decide when you'll eat, then subtract each dish's time to find when it starts, longest first. That's how published Christmas plans are built; this timer does the subtraction for any serving time and calls each start as it comes.
How long should a turkey rest?
USDA says to let it stand for 20 minutes before carving. Safefood says at least 30 minutes for a stuffed bird, and Leiths says 20 to 30, longer wrapped in double foil. Add rest as its own step so the turkey comes out of the oven early enough.
How long does a turkey take to roast?
At 325 °F, USDA gives 3 to 3¾ hours for an unstuffed 12 to 14 lb turkey and 3½ to 4 hours stuffed, and says these times are approximate: a food thermometer showing 165 °F decides. Plan with the longer time and rest it if it's early.
What if I start something late?
Tap "Started" when you actually start it. If that's more than two minutes late, the rest of that dish moves later and the timer offers to move dinner so everything still finishes together.
Will it ring if my phone is locked?
Not reliably: phones pause background web pages. Keep this tab open with the screen on (the timer keeps it awake while it runs); on a computer, sounds play even when the tab is in the background.

Sources

  1. USDA FSIS: let's talk turkey roasting (timetable and resting)
  2. USDA FSIS: safe minimum internal temperature chart
  3. Safefood: turkey cooking time calculator and resting
  4. Leiths: Christmas Day time plan (resting under foil)
  5. Jamie Oliver: Christmas masterplan (work backwards)
  6. Chrome for Developers: timer throttling in Chrome 88
  7. MDN: Screen Wake Lock API