Cooking From Frozen Time Calculator
Cooking time from frozen for meat and poultry: fresh time times 1.5, the USDA FSIS figure of about 50% longer. Fish and vegetables get no multiplier. How it works
Use the Cooking From Frozen Time Calculator
About the Cooking From Frozen Time Calculator
Cooking meat or poultry from frozen takes about 50% longer than fresh or fully thawed, according to USDA FSIS, so a fresh time of 25 minutes becomes 37.5 minutes and 40 minutes becomes 60. That figure is for ovens and stovetops: FSIS says to always thaw meat or poultry before it goes into a slow cooker. No source gives a multiplier for fish, vegetables or casseroles, so the tool leaves those for you to fill in.
Cooking times from frozen for meat and poultry
| Fresh or thawed | From frozen (× 1.5) |
|---|---|
| 10 min | 15 min |
| 15 min | 22.5 min |
| 20 min | 30 min |
| 25 min | 37.5 min |
| 30 min | 45 min |
| 40 min | 60 min |
| 45 min | 67.5 min |
| 60 min | 90 min |
| 90 min | 135 min |
Fresh time × 1.5, rounded to a tenth of a minute. The same 1.5 applies to pork, turkey or a roast, which have no button of their own.
Frequently asked questions
- How much longer does it take to cook frozen chicken?
- About 50% longer than the time for fresh or thawed chicken, from the USDA FSIS fact sheet The Big Thaw. Chicken that takes 20 minutes fresh takes about 30 from frozen, and 30 minutes becomes 45. It is done when the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C), the minimum internal temperature FoodSafety.gov gives for all poultry.
- Can I cook frozen meat in a slow cooker?
- No. The USDA FSIS fact sheet on slow cookers says to always thaw meat or poultry before putting it into a slow cooker, and the tool shows that warning for chicken and steak. The 50% figure applies to ovens and stovetops.
- How long do I cook fish from frozen?
- The tool has no multiplier for fish, because the FSIS figure covers meat and poultry only and no other source opened gives one. Follow the package; if you type your own multiplier, the page notes that the figure is yours, not a sourced one.
- Do frozen vegetables take longer to cook than fresh?
- Usually not. NDSU Extension says most frozen vegetables were partly cooked when they were blanched, so they need less cooking time than fresh ones. That is why the tool offers no multiplier above 1 for vegetables.
- Does a thick steak take longer than 50% extra from frozen?
- It can: the 50% is an approximate figure for meat and poultry in general, and the page notes that a thick cut may need more. Cook to temperature, not to the clock: a beef or pork steak, chop or roast needs 145°F (63°C) followed by a 3-minute rest, and ground meat at 160°F (71°C).
- Can I use it for frozen pork, turkey or a roast?
- Yes, by picking Chicken or Steak: both use 1.5, and the FSIS figure covers meat and poultry in general, not those two foods only. A pork roast that takes 60 minutes thawed comes to about 90 minutes from frozen.
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