Sous Vide Steak Timer

Common uses for a sous vide steak timer

Cooking a thick steak evenly edge to edge
Holding steaks at temperature before a dinner
Cheaper cuts that need a longer hold
Reverse-searing with total control

Sous vide separates the two things conventional cooking does at once. Temperature sets doneness — the steak cannot go past the water temperature, so a bath at 54 °C produces rare and nothing else, however long it sits. Time only governs how long heat takes to reach the centre, and after that, how far tenderising has progressed.

Time therefore depends on thickness, not weight: a 2 cm steak needs about an hour to come to temperature throughout, a 5 cm one closer to three. Going beyond the minimum is safe and often desirable for tougher cuts, but not indefinitely — enzymes keep working, and a lean steak held for many hours turns mushy rather than tender. The table gives a minimum and a practical maximum for each thickness.

The sear is a separate job

Sous vide produces a perfectly even interior and a grey, unappetising exterior, because no browning happens at these temperatures. The crust comes from a hard, fast sear afterwards in a very hot pan or over direct fire.

Dry the steak thoroughly before it goes near the pan — surface water must boil off before browning can begin, and a wet steak steams instead of searing. Keep the sear short, under a minute a side, or you undo the even interior you just spent an hour building.

Temperature is doneness, and it is exact

Because the steak equilibrates with the bath, sous vide doneness is repeatable in a way pan cooking is not. If 54 °C is too rare for you, 56 °C will be reliably a little more done, every time, with no judgement involved.

This also means the usual advice to pull early for carryover does not apply during the bath. It does still apply to the sear: a hard sear adds heat, so a steak that was exactly medium-rare leaving the water can creep past it on the pan.

Temperature sets doneness; time only has to be long enough for the centre to reach it. Longer holds are safe within the maximum shown, past which texture degrades.

Sous vide steak: temperature by doneness, time by thickness
Doneness	Bath temperature	Thickness	Minimum	Maximum hold
Rare	54 °C (129 °F)	2 cm	1 h	2 h 30
Medium rare	56 °C (133 °F)	2 cm	1 h	2 h 30
Medium	60 °C (140 °F)	2 cm	1 h	3 h
Medium rare	56 °C (133 °F)	3 cm	1 h 30	3 h
Medium rare	56 °C (133 °F)	4 cm	2 h	3 h 30
Medium rare	56 °C (133 °F)	5 cm	3 h	4 h

Below about 54 °C a steak is not pasteurised at any practical time; serve those promptly and not to anyone vulnerable to foodborne illness.
Lean steak held far past the maximum turns mushy rather than more tender — enzymes keep working the whole time.

Source: Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart

Sources

Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart , USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service — accessed 2026-07-28

🔗 Related Timers

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Sous Vide Egg Timer

Meat Resting Timer

Steak Timer

Turkey Roasting Timer

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Does a longer sous vide time make a steak more done?

No. Doneness is set by the water temperature, and the steak cannot exceed it. A bath at 54 °C gives rare whether you leave it one hour or three. Time only governs how long the centre takes to reach that temperature, and then how far tenderising has gone.

How long does a steak need by thickness?

Roughly an hour for 2 cm, ninety minutes for 3 cm, two hours for 4 cm and three for 5 cm. Thickness is what matters, not weight — a wide thin steak comes to temperature faster than a small thick one.

Can I leave a steak in the bath too long?

Yes. Enzymes keep working the whole time, and a lean steak held many hours past the minimum becomes mushy rather than more tender. The table gives a practical maximum for each thickness; tougher cuts tolerate longer holds than tender ones.

Do I still need to sear it?

Yes — no browning happens at sous vide temperatures, so the steak comes out evenly cooked and grey. Dry it thoroughly, then sear hard and fast, under a minute a side. A wet steak steams instead of browning, and a long sear undoes the even interior.

Is a steak cooked at 54 °C safe?

It is not pasteurised at that temperature at any practical time. Whole cuts of beef carry their risk on the surface, which the sear addresses, so many people accept this — but serve promptly and not to anyone pregnant, elderly, very young or immunocompromised. If that matters, cook at 56 °C or above and hold longer.

Should I pull it early for carryover?

Not from the bath — the steak is already at bath temperature and cannot overshoot. Carryover does apply to the sear, though: a hard sear adds real heat, so a steak that left the water at exactly medium-rare can creep past it in the pan.