Saved plans

Dinner planning · Canada

Christmas dinner timeline planner

Work backwards from serving time to plan your roast, resting and sides in one Christmas dinner timeline.

Country-specific guidance

Preparing your cooking tool...

Christmas dinner details

When you want to eat

Choose today or later in the selected time zone.

Applies to every oven temperature. Existing values convert when you switch units.

Your main roast

Whole, fully thawed turkey (not a breast or crown). Choose a matching recipe.

Use your recipe. Required country minimums cannot be shortened.

Side dishes

Oven sides cook one after another in list order. The last side finishes at serving time. Hob tasks run independently. Check tray space and plan how to keep earlier dishes hot safely.

Side dish 1
View worked example

Worked example: Christmas dinner for 2pm

Serve at 14:00 on 25 December. Allow 3 hours 30 minutes for the turkey, 45 minutes of rest, and 45 minutes for oven potatoes.

  1. Work back through resting

    14:00 minus 45 minutes: take the turkey out at 1:15 p.m..

  2. Subtract the cooking time

    Start the turkey at 9:45 a.m..

  3. Allow for preheating

    Preheat 20 minutes before the first oven step, at 9:25 a.m..

  4. Use the rest window

    Start the potatoes at 1:15 p.m.; they finish at 2:00 p.m..

Result: Serve at 2:00 p.m..

These times are an editable example, not a roasting recommendation. Use your recipe and the country's temperature guidance.

A little help in the kitchen

How to use it

  1. Choose your serving date, time, time zone and number of guests.

  2. Enter the main roast's recipe cooking and resting times, or use the roast time calculator for the preparation shown below Main roast and a supported weight. Where no matching official timetable is available, enter cooking minutes using your recipe.

  3. Add each side's name, minutes, oven or hob method, and oven temperature. Add oven sides in the order you want them cooked. Australia also offers editable summer menus with cold sides and a barbecue option.

  4. Choose Calculate timeline. Read any oven warnings, check the official temperature guidance and follow your recipe. Start timers as you begin each task; they run only while this page stays open.

  5. Save, share a link, print, or download one calendar event per timeline step. Guests describe your menu; they do not scale cooking time or quantities.

How it works

Roast out = serving time minus rest time. Roast in = roast out minus cook time. Preheating starts 20 minutes before the first oven task. This is a planning allowance; follow your appliance's instructions.

Oven sides run one after another in list order, ending at serving time. They occupy the rest window first; if their combined time is longer, earlier sides work back into roasting. The planner warns when overlapping oven tasks require different temperatures. A side finishing exactly as the roast starts does not clash. Hob and cold preparation tasks run independently and finish at serving time.

Clock times use your selected time zone, including changes of date and daylight saving. The planner does not measure oven space, available hob rings, or the time needed to change oven temperature. Earlier sides may need safe hot holding. A timer or scheduled finish cannot show that food is safely cooked.

Frequently asked questions

What time should the turkey go in for a 2pm dinner?

With a recipe cook time of 3 hours 30 minutes and 45 minutes of rest, put it in at 09:45, take it out at 13:15 and serve at 14:00. Preheat at 09:25. These are the specification's example timings; your bird may need different cooking instructions.

How do I keep sides hot while the turkey rests?

The planner puts oven sides into the resting window. If a side finishes early, plan safe hot holding using your country's official guidance. Cold sides should stay chilled until serving. The timeline does not validate food storage or holding conditions.

Can I cook Christmas dinner with one oven?

Oven sides are scheduled in sequence. When they cannot fit after the roast, the plan flags any temperature conflicts during roasting. Check tray space and allow for temperature changes yourself. Change your menu or follow a suitable recipe to resolve a warning.

What can I prepare the day before?

Organise equipment and choose recipes with clear advance preparation and storage instructions. Do not treat an earlier preparation time as permission to leave perishable food out. Follow the official guidance linked below for safe chilling and storage.

How do I add my own dishes to the timeline?

Choose Add side dish, enter its name and recipe minutes, choose oven or hob, and add its oven temperature when needed. Oven sides cook in the order you add them. Australian menus also allow cold preparation tasks.

Will timers and shared plans survive a refresh?

Timers run on the open page and reset when it is reloaded or recalculated. Save settings on this device to reopen them from Saved plans, or use a share link. Long menus can still be saved locally if they are too large for a share link. Calendar events use the selected time zone converted to UTC; they are imported only when you open the downloaded file.

Sources