Potato Cooking Time Calculator
Get exact cooking times for any potato type and method — boiling, baking, roasting, steaming, or microwaving.
Metric and imperial sizes.
Potato cooking time depends on three key factors: the cooking method, the size of the potato (or pieces), and the variety. Getting these right means consistently perfect potatoes — no undercooked centers or mushy overcooked exteriors.
Potato varieties and their best uses:
- Russet (floury): High starch, low moisture. Best for baking, mashing, and frying. Breaks down when boiled, great for mashed potato but falls apart in salads.
- Yukon Gold / all-purpose: Medium starch. Versatile, works well for boiling, roasting, or mashing. Holds shape better than Russet.
- New potatoes / baby potatoes: Low starch, waxy. Hold their shape perfectly, ideal for salads, boiling, and roasting whole.
- Red potatoes: Waxy, low starch. Best for boiling and potato salads.
- Fingerlings: Thin-skinned, waxy. Great roasted whole or halved.
Size means piece size, not potato size
This is the part that trips people up. For boiling whole, baking and microwaving, the potato is the piece and its size is what matters. For roasting and steaming you have already cut it up, and a large potato in 1-inch chunks cooks like small pieces, not like a large potato. Choose the size that describes what is actually going in the pan.
Cooking method guide:
Boiling (whole): Small (60–100g / 2–3.5oz): 15–20 minutes Medium (150–200g / 5–7oz): 25–35 minutes Large (250–350g / 9–12oz): 40–50 minutes Start in cold salted water, bring to a boil, then hold a steady simmer. Done when a knife slides in and out with no resistance.
Baking (whole, oven at 200°C / 400°F): Medium: 50–65 minutes Large: 65–80 minutes Pierce the skin first. Rub with oil and salt for a crisp skin.
Roasting (cut into chunks, 210°C / 425°F), by chunk size: 2.5cm (1 inch) chunks: 25–35 minutes 4cm (1.5 inch) chunks: 35–45 minutes 5cm (2 inch) chunks: 45–55 minutes Parboil 5 minutes and rough up the edges first for the crispiest result.
Steaming, by piece size: 1.5cm (½ inch) cubes: 8–12 minutes 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces: 12–18 minutes 4cm (1.5 inch) chunks: 18–25 minutes
Microwave (whole): Medium potato: 6–8 minutes (flip halfway) Large potato: 8–11 minutes (flip halfway) Pierce 10 times with a fork first, or it will burst.
Doneness test: Always test with a thin knife or skewer — it should slide in and out without resistance at the thickest point.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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