Sous Vide Time and Temperature Guide
![J. Kenji Lopéz-Alt headshot](/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/kenji-headshot-jpg-1.png)
by J. Kenji López-Alt
Whether you’re new to sous vide cooking or you just want to know the basics, the Anova Time & Temperature Guide will help you achieve the best meal ever, every time. With the help of The Food Lab, we've created a full reference guide to help you achieve the exact results you want, no matter what you're cooking. Think perfectly medium-rare steak, super-juicy chicken breast, ridiculously flavorful veggies... and so much more. Each dish has been tested extensively to deliver you down-to-the-degree recommendations, so you never have to worry about overcooked, mediocre results ever again.
Download the printable Anova Time & Temperature Quick Reference sheet to post this super-simple guide, well, anywhere. Get more time and temperature guides and sous vide recipes in the Anova Culinary App, available for iOS and Android.
While this guide has been helpful over the years, we've recently created a new, much more comprehensive sous vide steak guide that covers everything from basics to advanced techniques. Check it out to take your steak to the next level.
Using the guide to cook a chicken breast @ 145°F / 63°C
Example:
Min Time | Max Time |
1h | 3h 30m |
To be safe, you should at least cook it for this long. | You should seriously consider it done. |
Chicken
Preferred Doneness | Temperature | Min Time | Max Time |
Soft and juicy chicken breast | 145°F / 63°C | 1h 30m | 4h |
Traditionally firm chicken breast | 155°F / 69°C | 1h | 4h |
Juicy and tender chicken thigh | 165°F / 74°C | 1h | 4h |
Off-the-bone tender chicken thigh | 165°F / 74°C | 4h | 8h |
Finish chicken by drying well and cooking skin side-down in a moderately hot skillet with a little vegetable oil.
View full chicken, and turkey guides; Chicken Breast, Chicken Thigh or Turkey Breast with Crispy Skin.
Steak or Lamb
Preferred Doneness | Temperature | Min Time | Max Time |
Medium-rare | 129°F / 54°C | 1h 30m | 4h |
Medium | 140°F / 60°C | 1h 30m | 4h |
Medium-well | 145°F / 63°C | 1h 30m | 4h |
Finish steaks by drying well and searing on a hot grill or in a hot cast iron skillet with butter and oil.
Discover more details in our comprehensive sous vide steak guide.
View full beef or lamb guides; Sous Vide Smoked Beef Chuck, Sous Vide Smoked Brisket, Porterhouse Steak, Tenderloin Steak, Ribeye Steak, Strip Steak, and Sous Vide Rack of Lamb.
Pork Chops
Preferred Doneness | Temperature | Min Time | Max Time |
Rosy pink and juicy | 135°F / 57°C | 1h | 4h |
White throughout and juicy | 147°F / 64°C | 1h | 4h |
Finish pork chops by drying well and searing on a hot grill or in a hot cast iron skillet with butter and oil.
View full pork guides; Sous Vide Carnitas, Sous Vide Canadian Bacon, Sous Vide Bacon, Sous Vide BBQ Pork Shoulder, Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin, Sous Vide Pork Chops, and Barbeque Ribs.
Fish
Preferred Doneness | Temperature | Min Time | Max Time |
Mi-cuit (tender but translucent) | 110°F / 43°C | 30m | 30m |
Tender and flaky | 124°F / 51°C | 30m | 1h |
Traditional well-done | 132°F / 55°C | 30m | 1h 30m |
Fish cooked sous-vide is difficult to sear without having it fall apart.
View full fish, and seafood-based guides; Sous Lobster, Sous Vide Halibut, Sous Vide Tuna, and Sous Vide Salmon.
Eggs
Preferred Doneness | Temperature | Min Time | Max Time |
Soft yolks, ghostly, barely set whites | 140°F / 60°C | 1h | 1h |
Creamy yolks, opaque, tender whites | 145°F / 63°C | 45m | 1h 5m |
For perfect poached eggs, cook at 145°F for 45 minutes, remove from shell, then gently poach in simmering water for 30 seconds. For perfect soft boiled eggs, cook in boiling water for 3 minutes, then transfer (still in the shell) to a 145°F water bath for 45 minutes.
View full egg guides; Soft-Boiled Egg, Poached Egg, and Hard-Boiled Egg.
Sausage
Preferred Doneness | Temperature | Min Time | Max Time |
Extra-juicy and soft | 140°F / 60°C | 45m | 4h |
Firm and juicy | 150°F / 66°C | 45m | 4h |
Traditional, springy | 160°F / 71°C | 45m | 4h |
Finish sausages in a skillet with butter and oil or on a grill.
View full sausage guide; Sous Vide Sausage.
Hamburger
Preferred Doneness | Temperature | Min Time | Max Time |
Very Rare to Rare | 115-123°F / 46-51°C | 40m | 2h 30m |
Medium-Rare | 124-129°F / 51-54°C | 40m | 2h 30m |
Medium | 130-137°F / 54-58°C | 40m | 4h |
Medium-Well | 138-144°F / 59-62°C | 40m | 4h |
Well-Done | 145-155°F / 63-68°C | 40m | 4h |
View full hamburger guide; Sous Vide Hamburger.
Green Vegetables
Temperature | Min Time | Max Time | |
Asparagus, peas, broccoli, etc. | 183°F / 84°C | 15m | 40m |
View corn guide; Sous Vide Corn.
Root Vegetables
Temperature | Min Time | Max Time | |
Carrots, parsnips, potatoes, etc. | 183°F / 84°C | 1h | 3h |