Christmas dinner, timed back from serving

Serves 6 to 8. Prime rib with mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts, all ready together. A 6 lb bone-in rib roast takes 2¼ to 3 hours at 325°F (163°C) to reach 145°F (63°C), the USDA safe temperature for beef roasts, and then rests for 30 minutes. For dinner at 6:00 pm it goes in at 3:00.

Two starts run the day: Add "Prime rib (6 lb)" to Kitchen Timer and start it when the roast goes in, then Add "Christmas dinner" to Kitchen Timer and tap Start all when it comes out. The second button holds the rest and the sides, three timers of 30 minutes that tell you when each goes in, so they all finish together 30 minutes after you tap Start all.

How to start: tap a button on this page, then Add. A meal goes to Meals: tap Load, then Start all on the board. A single timer goes to Presets: tap Start. The clock times below count from the moment you tap Start, not from when you open the link. If a timer stops and waits at a step, tap ✓ when you have done it: the next step counts from your tap, so a late tap moves that dish later.

The menu

Standing rib roast (prime rib), 6 lb, 3 ribs
Mashed potatoes, 3 lb (1.4 kg)
Roasted Brussels sprouts, 2 lb (900 g), halved
Make ahead: cranberry sauce and a pie, the day before

The timers

Timer	Time	What it tells you
Prime rib (6 lb)	2 h 18 min, then 12 min	Start checking the temperature; then it should be out
Rest the prime rib	30 min	Carve when it rings
Boil the potatoes	10 min, then 20 min	Buzzes when the potatoes go in, rings when to drain and mash
Roast the Brussels sprouts	10 min, then 20 min	Buzzes when the sprouts go in, rings when they come out

Schedule for dinner at 6:00 pm

2:45 pm. Heat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Season the roast well with salt and pepper.
3:00 pm. Roast bone side down. Start "Prime rib (6 lb)". If it stops and waits at 2 h 18 min, tap ✓ when you start checking.
5:18 pm. When it buzzes, check the thickest part, away from the bone. The roast is ready at 145°F (63°C). USDA gives 23 to 30 minutes per pound at 325°F, so 6 lb is 2 h 18 min to 3 h. Check every 10 minutes until it is there.
About 5:30 pm. The roast is out at 145°F. Move it to a board and cover loosely with foil. Turn the oven up to 425°F (220°C), put the potato water on, and tap Start all on "Christmas dinner".
5:40 pm. The potatoes go into the boiling water and the oiled sprouts go into the hot oven. Make gravy.
6:00 pm. Drain and mash the potatoes, carve the roast, serve.

The roast is not at 145°F yet? Keep roasting. Start "Christmas dinner" when it comes out and dinner is 30 minutes after that.

Serving ham instead

Use a fully cooked spiral ham in its original packaging from a USDA-inspected plant. It is already cooked, so you only warm it, covered in foil, at 325°F (163°C), until it reads 140°F (60°C). USDA says a ham that was repackaged outside the plant, and any leftover spiral ham, must reach 165°F (74°C) instead. The USDA figures for fully cooked ham run from about 10 minutes per pound for a spiral-cut ham to 18 minutes per pound for a whole bone-in ham, so go by the label and the thermometer. The timer is set for 95 minutes, about 11 to 14 minutes per pound for a 7 to 9 lb ham: it buzzes at 75 minutes to brush on the glaze and uncover the ham for the last 20 minutes, rings when the ham comes out, and counts the 15-minute rest. If it stops and waits at a step, tap ✓ when you have done it. Add "Spiral ham 7-9 lb" to Kitchen Timer

Christmas morning

Make the breakfast casserole the night before (bread, eggs, milk, cheese and cooked sausage) and keep it in the fridge. In the morning, bake it at 350°F (177°C) for 45 to 55 minutes, until the middle is set and reads 160°F (71°C). Homemade cinnamon rolls bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden; store-bought rolls in a tube take about the same, but follow the can. Both use the same oven temperature, and the second timer buzzes to put the rolls in when the casserole has 22 minutes left. Add it, Load it from Meals, and tap Start all.

Add "Christmas morning" to Kitchen Timer

Questions

How long to cook a standing rib roast?

USDA gives 23 to 30 minutes per pound at 325°F for a bone-in rib roast, until it reaches 145°F: a 6 lb roast takes 2 hours 18 minutes to 3 hours. Then rest it for 30 minutes.

What is a good Christmas dinner menu?

One roast (prime rib, ham, turkey or beef tenderloin), a potato dish, a green vegetable, gravy, and a dessert made the day before.

How long to cook beef tenderloin?

A whole 4 to 6 lb tenderloin takes 45 to 60 minutes at 425°F (220°C) and a half tenderloin of 2 to 3 lb takes 35 to 45 minutes, both until 145°F (63°C), then 15 minutes of rest.

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