Sous Vide Time & Temperature Calculator
Inputs
| Food | Beef (medium-rare) |
|---|---|
| Thickness | 30 mm |
| Starting state | Refrigerated |
Sous Vide Time & Temperature Calculator
Estimate how long a cut needs in the water bath to heat through, and the recommended core temperature for beef, poultry, pork, fish, or egg, based on thickness and starting state.
Inputs
Results
Enter a value to see results.
A 30 mm Beef (medium-rare) cut started Refrigerated takes about ... to heat through, with a recommended core temperature of ....
Sous Vide Time and Temperature
Sous vide cooking holds food in a precisely controlled water bath, so the question is rarely "how hot" but "how long until the centre catches up". Two things drive that answer: thickness, which sets the heating time, and temperature, which sets the doneness. This guide separates the two, using the slab heating tables published by Douglas Baldwin in "A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking".
Thickness drives the time
Heat enters a cut from both faces and travels inward, so the centre is always the last part to reach the bath temperature. The distance that heat has to travel is the thickness — not the weight and not the length. A wide, thin steak and a thick, compact one can weigh the same yet heat through in very different times. This is why "minutes per pound", borrowed from roasting, does not work for sous vide.
Baldwin's measurements for a slab-shaped cut, starting refrigerated at about 5 °C in a bath between 45 and 80 °C, are well described by a power law:
The exponent above one means the time grows faster than the thickness: doubling the thickness roughly triples the heating time. The table below compares this formula with Baldwin's tabulated values.
| Thickness | Formula | Baldwin (refrigerated) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 mm | ~51 min | 50 min |
| 30 mm | ~97 min | 1.5 hr |
| 40 mm | ~152 min | 2.5 hr |
| 50 mm | ~218 min | 3.5 hr |
| 60 mm | ~288 min | 4.75 hr |
Starting from frozen
Food added straight from the freezer must first thaw before it can warm to the bath temperature, which adds roughly half again to the heating time (Baldwin Table 2.3). The calculator applies a 1.5× multiplier for a frozen start. Cooking from frozen is convenient and safe for the heating step, but the longer time should be planned for.
Temperature drives the doneness
Because the bath holds a fixed temperature and the food cannot exceed it, the bath temperature you choose becomes the final core temperature once the food has heated through. Common doneness targets:
| Food | Temperature |
|---|---|
| Beef (medium-rare) | 55 °C / 131 °F |
| Poultry | 63 °C / 145 °F |
| Pork | 61 °C / 142 °F |
| Fish (medium-rare) | 50 °C / 122 °F |
| Egg (soft) | 64.5 °C / 148 °F |
These are preferences within commonly used ranges, not fixed rules — adjust to taste using a reliable sous vide reference.
Worked example
A 30 mm beef steak taken from the refrigerator, cooked to medium-rare:
tT=0.45×301.58=0.45×215.7≈97 minutes=55 ∘C (set the bath to this)So set the bath to 55 °C and allow about 1 hour 40 minutes for the centre to reach temperature. Leaving it longer is fine; it will not overshoot.
A 1.25 inch (≈32 mm) beef steak taken from the refrigerator, cooked to medium-rare:
tT=0.45×321.58=0.45×238≈107 minutes=131 ∘F (set the bath to this)Set the bath to 131 °F and allow about 1 hour 45 minutes. Because the bath cannot heat the food past its own temperature, extra time mostly changes texture rather than doneness.
Heating time is not pasteurisation time
The number this calculator gives is the heat-through time — how long until the centre reaches the bath temperature. It is not the same as a pasteurisation time. Pasteurisation reduces harmful bacteria to a safe level, and that requires holding the food at a sufficient temperature for an additional period that depends on both the temperature and the thickness. Lower bath temperatures need much longer holds, and some temperatures are too low to pasteurise at all. For food safety, use a published pasteurisation table for your chosen temperature and thickness rather than the heating time alone.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How long does sous vide cooking take?
Long enough for the centre to reach the bath temperature, which depends almost entirely on thickness. As a guide from Baldwin’s heating tables, a refrigerated slab takes about 50 minutes at 20 mm, about 1.5 hours at 30 mm, and about 3.5 hours at 50 mm. A frozen start adds roughly half again.
Because the bath holds a fixed temperature, the food cannot overshoot, so it is normal to leave it in longer than the minimum — extra time mainly affects texture, not doneness.
Why does thickness matter more than weight?
Heat travels inward from both faces of the cut, so the time for the centre to warm up is set by how far the heat has to travel — the thickness — not by how much the piece weighs. A wide, thin 200 g steak heats through far faster than a thick 200 g one. That is why recipes that quote a time "per pound" are unreliable for sous vide; measure the thickness instead.
Is the heat-through time the same as pasteurisation time?
No. The heat-through time is how long it takes the centre to reach the bath temperature.
Pasteurisation — reducing harmful bacteria to a safe level — requires holding at temperature for an additional period that depends on both the temperature and the thickness, and it is only achieved above certain temperatures. This calculator estimates heating time only; for food safety, follow a published pasteurisation table or trusted guidance for your temperature and thickness.
What core temperature should I use for each food?
Common sous vide targets are about 55 °C for medium-rare beef, 63 °C for poultry, 61 °C for pork, 50 °C for medium-rare fish, and around 64.5 °C for a soft "perfect" egg. These are doneness preferences, not safety thresholds — lower temperatures need longer holds to be made safe, and some are not suitable for at-risk eaters. Adjust to taste within the ranges given in a reliable sous vide guide.
Disclaimer
This calculator estimates heat-through time and a typical doneness temperature as a cooking guide; it is not a food-safety or pasteurisation guarantee. Safe pasteurisation depends on holding the food at a sufficient temperature for a time that varies with temperature and thickness, and low-temperature cooking is not recommended for pregnant people, young children, older adults, or anyone with a weakened immune system.
Follow published pasteurisation tables and local food-safety guidance, and when in doubt, cook to a higher temperature or for longer.
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