Sous Vide Pasteurization Time Calculator
Enter the food, thickness, starting temperature, and bath temperature to estimate when the coldest point reaches a conservative pasteurization target. If you plan to cook-chill, the calculator also estimates time in a stirred half-ice bath.
Minimum pasteurization time1 hr 30 min
- Core heat-through time
- 1 hr 26 min
- Core temperature when pasteurized (°C)
- 59.22
- Warm-up contribution
- 100%
- Governing safety target
- Listeria monocytogenes, 6 log reduction
- Ice-bath cooling time
- Not requested
- Safety status
- Within the beef, pork, or lamb model range.
Assumes one fully submerged pouch in a well-circulated bath, with no trapped air or overlapping food.
The model counts lethality during warm-up and uses the coldest modeled point, not the surface temperature.
How to use this calculator
- Choose metric or US units before entering thickness and temperatures.
- Select the food type and the shape that best matches the pouch.
- Measure the thickest part of the food, or the diameter for cylinders and spheres.
- Enter the starting core temperature and water-bath temperature.
- Choose cook-chill only when the pouch will go straight into a well-stirred ice bath.
How the pasteurization time is calculated
Sous vide safety depends on the coldest point in the food, not on the water temperature or the surface. This calculator models that cold point with a one-dimensional transient heat equation for a slab, cylinder, or sphere:
dT/dt = alpha * (d2T/dr2 + beta/r * dT/dr)
beta is 0 for a slab, 1 for a cylinder, and 2 for a sphere. The surface uses a convection boundary condition, dT/dr = h/k * (Tb - Ts), so a well-circulated bath heats the outside quickly while the center warms by conduction. The thermal diffusivity, heat-transfer coefficient, D-values, z-values, and log-reduction targets follow Douglas Baldwin's conservative sous vide tables for meat and poultry.
At each time step, the calculator computes the decimal-reduction time for every required pathogen:
D(T) = Dref * 10^((Tref - T) / z)
It then integrates lethality at the modeled center:
log reduction = integral(1 / D(Tcenter)) dt
The minimum pasteurization time is the first time all required targets are met. For red meat, the modeled targets are Listeria, Salmonella, and pathogenic E. coli. For poultry, they are Listeria and Salmonella. The result includes lethality accumulated during warm-up, so it is not simply a heat-through time plus a fixed holding time.
What changes the result most
Thickness matters more than weight because heat travels from the surface toward the center. Doubling thickness can more than double the time. Starting temperature also matters: frozen food spends longer warming through low temperatures before lethal heating becomes meaningful. Bath temperature has a strong effect near the low end of the supported range because each pathogen's D-value changes exponentially with temperature.
What this leaves out
The model assumes one fully submerged pouch, accurate bath control, good circulation, no trapped air, and no overlapping food. It does not model tenderness, collagen conversion, searing, marinade chemistry, salt, acidity, curing agents, grinding, or mechanical tenderization. Those factors can change quality and, in some cases, microbial heat resistance. For cook-chill, the cooling estimate assumes the pouch goes directly into a stirred bath that is at least half ice and reaches 5°C or 41°F at the center.
Worked example
For a 25 mm refrigerated slab of beef, pork, or lamb starting at 5°C in a 60°C bath, the calculator gives a minimum pasteurization time of about 1 hr 30 min after conservative planning rounding. The modeled center is just under the bath temperature when the target is met, and the governing target is Listeria because it progresses slowest under this profile.
If cook-chill is selected for the same pouch, the estimated ice-bath time is about 50 min to cool the center to 5°C. A thicker pouch or a frozen start increases both the cooking and cooling times.
Common questions
Does sous vide pasteurization time include heating time?
Yes. This calculator integrates pathogen reduction during warm-up, so the result is the total time in the bath from a stated starting core temperature. That is why changing the starting temperature changes the answer.
Why does thickness matter more than weight?
The coldest point warms by conduction from the surface inward. A wide thin steak heats faster than a compact roast of the same weight because the heat has less distance to travel to the center.
Should I measure a chicken breast at its thickest point?
Yes. Use the maximum thickness of the sealed food, not the average thickness. If two pieces overlap in the pouch, measure the combined thickness or repack them in a single layer.
Can frozen meat go directly into the sous vide bath?
It can, but it takes longer. Enter the frozen core temperature so the model counts the extra warm-up time and flags the frozen start in the status row.
What is the difference between pasteurization and tenderness time?
Pasteurization is a safety target based on time and temperature at the coldest point. Tenderness depends on the cut, collagen, enzymes, and cooking goals, so tough cuts may need many hours after they are pasteurized.
How long should a sous vide pouch stay in an ice bath?
For cook-chill, keep the sealed pouch in a well-stirred bath that is at least half ice until the center reaches 5°C or 41°F. The calculator estimates that time from the same thickness and shape used for cooking.