The hypothesis was tested that total thermal input (combined time and temperature), rather than merely heating rate, is the determining factor in heat-induced gel formation by muscle proteins. For comminuted pastes of pollock surimi and turkey breast, rapid heating plus a brief holding time at the endpoint temperature produced similar textural properties to gels, which were heated by a slower cook schedule and cooled immediately. These results suggest that the equivalent point method, a tool used to compare and communicate equivalent heat treatments for effecting bacterial reduction and/or enzyme inactivation, can be used to identify other heat processes having similar effects on gelation.