Is 145°F chicken really safe?

Yes if held for 60+ minutes. The USDA's 165°F is for instant kill at conventional cooking. Sous vide achieves equivalent pasteurization at lower temperatures via TIME AT TEMPERATURE — Douglas Baldwin's sous vide guide and FDA Food Code Annex 6 establish equivalent kill curves. 145°F for 60 minutes = 165°F instant. Result: chicken breast that's juicy and tender vs the dry-puck texture of 165°F instant-cook. Avoid lower temperatures if pregnant, elderly, or immunocompromised.

How long is too long?

Texture deteriorates after extended bath times. Steaks: 4-6 hours max before texture turns to mush. Tough cuts (chuck, brisket): up to 24-48 hours intentional (the long cook breaks down collagen). Fish: 30-45 minutes max — gets pasty beyond that. Eggs: timing critical (60-100 minutes for soft-poached; 13 min at 167°F). Generally: minimum time = food reaches target core temperature; maximum = texture starts breaking down.

Do I need a vacuum sealer?

No. Standard zip-top freezer bags work via the “water displacement” method: place food in bag, lower into water bath, water pressure pushes air out the open zip; seal just before submerging. Vacuum sealers are nicer (cleaner edges, longer storage) but not required for cooking. Cheap chamber-vacuum sealers (FoodSaver, Anova) cost $80-150 if you sous vide regularly.

Why do I need to sear after?

Sous vide cooks the inside but doesn't brown the outside (Maillard reaction requires above 285°F; sous vide tops out at 200°F). Without sear, your steak comes out gray and unappetizing despite perfect interior doneness. Quick sear in cast iron or with a torch (1 min each side max) creates the dark crust. Pat the meat completely DRY before searing — surface moisture prevents browning.

Can I cook from frozen?

Yes — increase cook time by 50%. A 1-inch frozen steak that takes 1 hour from refrigerated takes 1.5 hours from frozen. Convenient for batch-prep: vacuum-seal raw, freeze, cook directly without thawing. Don't cook chicken from frozen for safety reasons (longer time at danger zone temperatures during thaw); fish similar concern. Beef and pork are fine from frozen.

What's the difference between time and temperature?

Temperature controls DONENESS — the final core temperature of the food. Time controls TENDERNESS — how much collagen breaks down. So 130°F medium-rare steak: 1 hour produces a perfectly medium-rare but still slightly chewy steak; 4 hours produces a perfectly medium-rare, more tender steak (collagen breaks down further); 6+ hours starts texture breakdown. For tough cuts (chuck): 130°F + 24 hours produces a result conventionally impossible — medium-rare + falling-apart-tender at the same time.

Cooking & Food · Free tool

Sous Vide Time and Temperature Guide

Look up precise sous vide times and temperatures for 9 proteins across doneness levels. Free online guide includes pasteurization safety notes — instant access, no sign‑up.

Updated June 2026

Protein

Doneness	Temp (°F)	Temp (°C)	Time
Rare	120°F	49°C	1-4 hr
Medium-rare	129°F	54°C	1-4 hr
Medium	135°F	57°C	1-4 hr
Medium-well	145°F	63°C	1-4 hr
Well done	156°F	69°C	1-4 hr

Safety: Temps below 130°F require a minimum 2-hour pasteurization hold for safety. Food-safe cooking depends on both temperature and time — short cooks at low temps are not pasteurized.

Tip: Sear the protein hot and fast (cast iron, 60–90 seconds per side) after the bath for Maillard crust. Pat dry first.

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What it does

Sous vide cooking — sealing food in a bag and cooking it in precisely-temperature- controlled water — is the most idiot-proof high-quality cooking technique invented. The principle: food cooked at exactly its target serving temperature can't overcook, regardless of time. A steak set for 129°F (medium-rare) will be exactly medium-rare whether it cooks for 1 hour or 4 hours. Originally developed for French restaurant kitchens (Bruno Goussault, 1974) where consistency at scale matters, home-circulators (Anova, Joule, Inkbird) dropped to under $200 by 2018, making sous vide accessible to home cooks. It's particularly transformative for: steaks (perfect edge-to-edge color, no gradient), tough cuts that need long braise-style cooks (chuck roast, short ribs, pork shoulder), eggs (custardy yolks impossible to achieve other ways), fish (notoriously easy to overcook conventionally; sous vide is forgiving).

The tool covers 9 common proteins (beef, pork, chicken, lamb, fish/salmon, shrimp, eggs, vegetables, dessert) with every doneness level, target temperature in F and C, minimum cook time to reach core temperature, maximum cook time before texture suffers, and food-safety bath time (FDA pasteurization tables) for those concerned about foodborne illness at lower temperatures. Standard targets: medium-rare beef steak 129-131°F (54-55°C) 1-4 hours; medium beef 135°F 1-4 hours; pork chops 135-140°F 1-4 hours; chicken breast 145°F (1-3 hours, juicy and tender — much lower than the “safe” 165°F that dries it out, but FDA-safe via time at temperature); salmon 122-125°F 30-45 min (just-cooked, silky); soft-poached eggs 167°F 13 min.

Critical food-safety context: traditional USDA “safe” temperatures (165°F chicken, 145°F pork) are calibrated for conventional cooking where temperature isn't held precisely. Sous vide achieves equivalent pasteurization at lower temperatures via TIME AT TEMPERATURE — FDA and Douglas Baldwin's sous vide guidance establish equivalent kill values. So 145°F chicken for 60+ minutes provides the same safety as 165°F instant-kill, while producing dramatically better texture. Pregnant, immunocompromised, or elderly eaters should still be cautious about lower temperatures; for healthy adults, properly time-at-temperature sous vide is safe. Always sear seared meats after the bath (Maillard browning happens above 285°F, impossible during sous vide) — a cast-iron torch or high-heat pan for 30-60 sec each side.

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How to use it

Pick the protein you're cooking.
Pick desired doneness level.
Read target temperature in F and C.
Read minimum cook time and maximum (texture-deteriorates) time.
Always sear after the bath for browning (1-min cast iron each side).

When to use this tool

Cooking expensive steaks where doneness consistency matters.
Tough cuts (chuck roast, short ribs) that benefit from long low-temperature cook.
Sensitive proteins (fish, shrimp) that overcook easily conventionally.
Batch-cooking multiple servings to identical doneness.
Make-ahead meal prep — sous vide allows holding cooked food at safe temperature for hours.

When not to use it

Pre-existing food-safety conditions — pregnancy, immunocompromise — stick to USDA temperatures regardless.
Crispy/crunchy textures — sous vide won't crisp anything; pair with high-heat finish.
Quick weeknight cooking — sous vide is slow; 1-2 hour minimum even for thin steaks.
Foods that benefit from caramelization throughout (gratin, chicken thighs with crispy skin) — those need oven roasting.

Common use cases

Verifying a number or output before passing it on
Quick use during a typical workday
Pre-decision sanity-check on inputs and outputs
Educational use — demonstrating the underlying concept

Frequently asked questions

Is 145°F chicken really safe?: Yes if held for 60+ minutes. The USDA's 165°F is for instant kill at conventional cooking. Sous vide achieves equivalent pasteurization at lower temperatures via TIME AT TEMPERATURE — Douglas Baldwin's sous vide guide and FDA Food Code Annex 6 establish equivalent kill curves. 145°F for 60 minutes = 165°F instant. Result: chicken breast that's juicy and tender vs the dry-puck texture of 165°F instant-cook. Avoid lower temperatures if pregnant, elderly, or immunocompromised.
How long is too long?: Texture deteriorates after extended bath times. Steaks: 4-6 hours max before texture turns to mush. Tough cuts (chuck, brisket): up to 24-48 hours intentional (the long cook breaks down collagen). Fish: 30-45 minutes max — gets pasty beyond that. Eggs: timing critical (60-100 minutes for soft-poached; 13 min at 167°F). Generally: minimum time = food reaches target core temperature; maximum = texture starts breaking down.
Do I need a vacuum sealer?: No. Standard zip-top freezer bags work via the “water displacement” method: place food in bag, lower into water bath, water pressure pushes air out the open zip; seal just before submerging. Vacuum sealers are nicer (cleaner edges, longer storage) but not required for cooking. Cheap chamber-vacuum sealers (FoodSaver, Anova) cost $80-150 if you sous vide regularly.
Why do I need to sear after?: Sous vide cooks the inside but doesn't brown the outside (Maillard reaction requires above 285°F; sous vide tops out at 200°F). Without sear, your steak comes out gray and unappetizing despite perfect interior doneness. Quick sear in cast iron or with a torch (1 min each side max) creates the dark crust. Pat the meat completely DRY before searing — surface moisture prevents browning.
Can I cook from frozen?: Yes — increase cook time by 50%. A 1-inch frozen steak that takes 1 hour from refrigerated takes 1.5 hours from frozen. Convenient for batch-prep: vacuum-seal raw, freeze, cook directly without thawing. Don't cook chicken from frozen for safety reasons (longer time at danger zone temperatures during thaw); fish similar concern. Beef and pork are fine from frozen.
What's the difference between time and temperature?: Temperature controls DONENESS — the final core temperature of the food. Time controls TENDERNESS — how much collagen breaks down. So 130°F medium-rare steak: 1 hour produces a perfectly medium-rare but still slightly chewy steak; 4 hours produces a perfectly medium-rare, more tender steak (collagen breaks down further); 6+ hours starts texture breakdown. For tough cuts (chuck): 130°F + 24 hours produces a result conventionally impossible — medium-rare + falling-apart-tender at the same time.

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