Sous Vide Temperature Guide & Doneness Calculator

Sous Vide Guide

How Sous Vide Works?

Sous vide (French 'under vacuum'): cook food in a sealed bag in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath. Key principle: food cannot exceed the water temperature. Conventional cooking: food surface 200°C+, centre 50°C — gradient. Sous vide: entire food reaches set temperature precisely. Advantages: impossible to overcook (within reason). Edge-to-edge even doneness. Tougher cuts become tender with long cook times. Convenient: cook ahead, finish later. Equipment: immersion circulator, such as Anova, Joule, or similar brands, clips onto any suitable pot and circulates water at a precisely controlled temperature.

What should I know about Temperature Selection?

Steak doneness by temperature: 50°C: blue. 54°C: rare. 57°C: medium rare. 60°C: medium. 66°C: medium well. 71°C+: well done. Sous vide at this exact temperature: perfectly cooked from edge to edge. No grey overcooked band around the perimeter as with grilling. Chicken safety: NHS recommends 75°C internal temperature for traditional cooking — but this assumes brief exposure. At 60°C held for 35+ minutes (or 56°C for 90+ min): equivalent pasteurisation. The Time-Temperature combination is what kills harmful bacteria safely, which is why sous vide recipes specify both figures together rather than temperature alone.

What's the key thing to understand about Time Selection?

Two factors: heat through time (time for centre to reach set temperature). Texture time (how long held at temperature affects texture). Heat-through times: 2cm steak from fridge: 30-45 minutes. 4cm steak: 1.5-2 hours. Whole chicken breast: 1-1.5 hours. Texture/tenderisation: tough cuts (chuck steak, brisket) become tender with extended cook times. Brisket: 24-72 hours at 60°C. Chuck steak: 24-48 hours. Pork shoulder: 24-36 hours at 74°C. Chicken: tender at 1.5 hours, dry after 4-6 hours at typical sous vide temperatures, since unlike tougher cuts, chicken breast doesn't benefit from extended cooking beyond its optimal window.

What should I know about Finishing — The Critical Step?

Sous vide alone produces pale meat — no Maillard reaction. ALWAYS finish to develop crust and flavour. Steak: pat dry, season, sear in screaming-hot cast iron pan with oil, butter, garlic, thyme. 30-60 seconds per side. Or torch with blowtorch. Pork belly: chill after sous vide, then crisp skin in hot oven or under grill (broiler) for crackling. Chicken skin: crisp in pan after cooking. Skin must be DRY before finishing. Fish: brief sear (10-20 seconds skin side) to crisp skin. Don't overcook in the pan while searing, since the sous vide bath has already brought the inside to the perfect temperature — the sear is purely for colour and crust, not further cooking.