Sous Vide Calculator

Pick a water-bath temperature and holding-time window from the protein cut, thickness, fresh or frozen start and desired doneness. Covers steak, pork, chicken, salmon and turkey, with texture, finishing and food-safety notes.

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Quick examples

Protein cut

Desired doneness or texture target

Thickness at the thickest point

Starting state

Dinner at (optional)

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Beef Steak

Ribeye, strip, sirloin, or filet-style steaks

Tender steaks are thickness-driven. Holding much longer than the window softens the bite without adding much benefit.

This calculator is thickness-based because sous vide heating is controlled by the distance from the surface to the center, not by total weight alone.

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About Sous Vide Calculator

The Sous Vide Calculator helps you choose a practical water-bath temperature and time window for common proteins such as steak, pork, chicken, salmon, and turkey. Instead of treating sous vide like a single magic number, it separates the two variables that actually matter in home cooking: temperature sets the final doneness and texture, while time gives heat enough time to reach the center and, for some proteins, enough time to satisfy a longer pasteurization-style hold. That makes the tool useful for real kitchen decisions such as cooking a 1-inch pork chop from the fridge, reheating a frozen salmon portion, or planning a turkey breast for a holiday meal.

How to Use

Select the protein cut you are cooking. The calculator includes tender beef steaks, small roasts, pork chops, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, chicken thigh, salmon fillet, and turkey breast.
Measure the thickest part of the protein, then enter that thickness in inches or centimeters. In sous vide cooking, thickness is usually a better predictor of cook time than total weight.
Choose the doneness target you want. For red meat this means rare, medium rare, or medium; for poultry and fish it usually means a texture target such as juicy, firm, silky, or flaky.
Tell the calculator whether the food is fresh or frozen. Frozen protein needs extra bath time because the center must thaw before it can fully heat through.
Use the result as a working plan: preheat the bath, stay inside the recommended time window, then finish with a short sear, broil, or skin-side crisp.

How the Recommendation Works

For most home sous vide setups, the logic is simple. The bath temperature decides the final doneness. A steak at 133°F behaves like medium rare whether it stays in the bath for 75 minutes or 110 minutes; what changes over longer holds is texture softness, not the basic doneness target. Time is mainly there to let the center catch up to the water bath and, in lower-temperature poultry or pork cooks, to provide enough holding time for a safer result.

The calculator therefore uses a time window instead of a single exact minute. The low end is the point where most portions of the chosen thickness are heated through and ready to finish. The high end is a practical serving limit before tender cuts or fish start losing their best texture. For frozen food, the calculator adds a thawing allowance rather than simply suggesting a hotter bath, because hotter water would change the final doneness.

Protein	Common target	Why cooks choose it	Main caution
Beef steak	133°F / 56.1°C	Classic medium-rare color and tenderness	Very long holds can soften the bite too much
Pork chop	145°F / 62.8°C	Juicy center with a familiar pork texture	Do not use a long sear that overshoots the center
Chicken breast	150°F / 65.6°C	Juicy but still recognizable chicken texture	Lower poultry temps require the full hold time
Salmon	122°F / 50°C	Silky, moist fish with gentle flakes	Fish gets soft quickly if held too long

Common Mistakes and Better Results

Using weight instead of thickness. A wide but thin steak does not need the same bath time as a thick steak of the same weight.
Searing too long after the bath. Sous vide already cooks the center, so the finishing step should be fast and intense, not slow and cumulative.
Leaving delicate proteins in the bath for convenience. Salmon and premium steaks have a serving window, but they are not all-day braises.
Skipping surface drying. A dry exterior browns faster, which protects the interior temperature and gives better crust or skin texture.
Assuming every protein needs 165°F. Conventional food-safety numbers are usually built around faster cooking methods; sous vide can reach safe outcomes at lower temperatures if the food is held long enough.

FAQ

How do I sous vide pieces of different thickness at the same time?

Use the same bath temperature and stagger the start: the Bath time by thickness table shows the window for every thickness of the cut, so put the thickest piece in first and add each thinner piece when its minimum time equals the time left. Everything then reaches the end of the cook together.

When should I start sous vide cooking for dinner?

Enter the time you want to eat under Dinner at. The plan works backwards from it: when to start heating the water, the window in which the bag can go in, and when to take it out to dry and sear.

What temperature should I use for medium-rare steak sous vide?

A common medium-rare steak sous vide target is around 133°F / 56.1°C. That setting gives a warm red-pink center with a classic steakhouse texture and still leaves a little margin for the final sear.

Is sous vide time based on weight or thickness?

Sous vide time is driven mostly by thickness, not total weight. A thick steak or pork chop takes longer for heat to reach the center, while a wider but equally thick piece usually does not need much more time.

Can I cook protein from frozen in sous vide?

Yes. Starting from frozen is common in sous vide cooking, but you should add extra time so the center can thaw and then fully heat through. The calculator adds that thawing allowance to the bath window.

Is chicken safe below 165 degrees F in sous vide?

Chicken can be safe below 165°F in sous vide if it is held at the target temperature long enough for pasteurization. That is why lower poultry temperatures require a full minimum hold time instead of a quick cook-and-serve approach.

Why did my salmon or steak turn mushy in the bath?

The most common cause is staying in the bath too long for a tender cut or delicate fish. Sous vide gives a broad serving window, but fish and premium steaks still lose structure if they stay hot far beyond the recommended range.

Should I dry steak before searing it after sous vide?

Yes. Remove the steak from the bag and pat the surface very dry before searing. A dry surface browns more readily, while excess moisture must evaporate first and can slow browning. For example, blot both sides of a 1-inch steak with paper towels, then sear briefly in a hot pan or on a hot grill. Keep the finish short so you brown the outside without warming the center too much.

Can I leave a tender steak in the sous vide bath all day?

A long hold can make a tender steak softer and less pleasant, even if the bath temperature stays at your target. The bath temperature sets doneness, while time lets the center heat through; extra time is not always helpful for tender cuts. Use the calculator’s recommended time window for the steak’s thickness and starting state, then finish it soon after it is ready.

Does steak thickness mean the widest part or the thickest part?

Measure the thickest point of the steak, since heat must travel from the surface to the center and that center is farthest away there. For example, if a steak tapers from 1 inch at one end to 1.5 inches at the other, use the 1.5-inch thickness for planning. Pieces that vary greatly in thickness may finish at different times, so separate them when practical.

Reference this content, page, or tool as:

"Sous Vide Calculator" at https://MiniWebtool.com/sous-vide-calculator/ from MiniWebtool, https://MiniWebtool.com/

by miniwebtool team. Updated: 2026-03-06