Is sous vide healthier?

[muralboy]

After a few cooks with my new toy, I got to wonderings, are the any health benefits to cooking Souse Vide? Specifically with something that will be pan seared and/fried after the water bath? Since the meat "cooking" in the oil/grease/butter, does that make it more healthy?

Inquiring minds....

[TMB]

Not sure if the food is healthier, but I got to ask if food is setting in warm to mild hot water for hrs or even a day does that kinda concern some of us as far as bacteria growth? 

Just seems to me food just sitting there at the same temp would or could cause bacteria to grow,  just asking cause I really don't know

[muralboy]

Not sure if the food is healthier, but I got to ask if food is setting in warm to mild hot water for hrs or even a day does that kinda concern some of us as far as bacteria growth? 

Just seems to me food just sitting there at the same temp would or could cause bacteria to grow,  just asking cause I really don't know

That's a valid question and concern.  Although I am still a novice at this, what I have been able to gather from the experts is that although the cooking temps are not high, they are at the point of keeping pathogens/bacteria from growing.  Kind of like a low and slow smoke.  What you do after the water bath is very important.

If not finishing the cook after the water bath, you need to flash chill and refrigerate immediately.  This prevents any bacteria from growing.  If eating right away, you pan sear/grill/broil.

See the link below - this guy covers a lot about SV and safety
http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html

[muebe]

Tommy when done properly SV cooking is just as safe, if not safer, than standard ways of cooking. SV cooking is nothing new just new to us in the forum. There have probably been restaraunts you have ate at before that cooked in this way and you had no idea.

Not sure of the complete health benefits Mural but I guess anything can be made unhealthy but just adding some bacon! All I know is SV makes for some delicious food.

[muralboy]

I like your way of thinking Muebe.  One related comment that was shared with me is that with SV cooking, the nutrients are not cooked away as much as it is with other cooking methods.

[hikerman]

Tommy when done properly SV cooking is just as safe, if not safer, than standard ways of cooking. SV cooking is nothing new just new to us in the forum. There have probably been restaraunts you have ate at before that cooked in this way and you had no idea.

Not sure of the complete health benefits Mural but I guess anything can be made unhealthy but just adding some bacon! All I know is SV makes for some delicious food.

As Mike alluded to, SV cooking is very safe, maybe safer than many alternative styles of cooking. I am by no means an expert or even close. But, there are guidelines to follow as to time/temps, and these should be adhered to. Most SV sites stress this! Most recipes have temp and time options and these need to be followed for safe consumption.

[muebe]

Also I have used this analogy before to try and explain the science behind SV cooking and thermal energy transfer.

Imagine a boiling pot of water. Water boils at around 210F depending on your altitude. We often do slow and low cooking for hours at 210F. Why is it then things cook so quickly in boiling water then?

If you put your hand in a 210F oven for 10 seconds more than likely nothing will happen to it. Try 10 seconds in boiling water

The transfer of energy in a liquid is much faster then in air. That is why you can cook foods SV at lower temps and still be safe. Also the lack of air inhibits growth of many bacteria. There are still bacteria that can grow in an oxygen free environment that is why the handling of food before you bag is important too.

Let's face it. If you get bad meat from the store your going to get sick no matter how you cook it. Food safety is important no matter how you cook. If in doubt throw it out. Smell... Look... If that bag the meat is in is expanded throw it out. Past the date? Throw it out.... Period.

[teesquare]

It is not just about killing bacteria with high heat that makes foods safe to eat. It is the combination of elevated temperature x the amount of time they are exposed to elevated temperatures.

Elevated in this definition would men "beyond the normal range of the bacteria's ability to metabolize and reproduce".

So - cooking a ribeye roast at 130F for 9 hours ( it was a 6.5 lb one ) made certain that the met was cooked, and safe to eat.

In the old days - we did not have the understanding of the bacteria's biologic processes that we have now. It is well enough documented that Sous Vide is a full accepted, USDA approved method of cooking.

Yes, there are precautions. Yes, there are "rules" that one should follow.

But - this is not more complex or difficult than making your own cured sausage, ham or bacon.....You can DO ITTT!!! ( ala - Rob Schneider  )

[Tailgating is my game]

You see folks I took it one more step by putting a hitch on my car with a grill. SUV cooking kills everything


I would like to try it someday but as on now I have enough to learn with what I got at this time.......or at least my wife tells me that.

[TentHunteR]

I don't know that it's necessarily "healthier" than other methods, but I agree that Yes, Sous Vide CAN be "just as safe" AS LONG AS CERTAIN MINIMUM GUIDELINES ARE FOLLOWED!

Tim alluded to something that needs to be considered, and that is a minimum Pasteurization temperature of 130°.  My understanding, based on what I've read, is you should NOT sous vide meat for longer than 4 hours unless temps of at least 130° are used.



Pasteurization is generally not considered to begin until temps of 130° F and higher are reached, NO MATTER WHAT THE COOKING METHOD. 

The "Sticking your hand in water versus an oven" analogy is a good one, so let's take it a step further and consider this for a moment.

As pointed out, you would definitely get burned MUCH quicker in 210° water than in a 210° oven, but make no mistake; leave your hand in a 210° oven long enough, and it WILL be cooked!

What if 100° water versus a 100° oven. You would still feel the heat much quicker in the water,  BUT you would be fine either way no matter how long you leave it in, because that temperature is within a safe range for human tissue to survive.

My point is this:  Water definitely transfers heat quicker than air, BUT a minimum temperature of 130+° is STILL required, to ensure pasteurization, if cooking longer than four hours!


These excerpts from Douglas Baldwin's "A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking" (one of the best I've seen), seems to back up this concept:

Every food pathogen has a temperature that it can’t grow above and a temperature it can’t grow below. They start to die above the temperature that they stop growing at and the higher above this temperature you go, the faster they die. Most food pathogens grow fastest a few degrees below the temperature that they start to die. Most food pathogens stop growing by 122°F (50°C), but the common food pathogen Clostridium perfringens can grow at up to 126.1°F (52.3°C). So in sous vide cooking, you usually cook at 130°F (54.4°C) or higher. (You could cook your food at slightly lower temperatures, but it would take you a lot longer to kill the food pathogens.)

If the food is not being pasteurized (as is the case with fish and rare meat), it is important that the food come up to temperature and be served within four hours. Unlike conventional cooking methods, this is easily accomplished by cutting the food into individual portion sizes before cooking–which is why cooking times over four hours are not shown for temperatures below 131°F (55°C). It is important that only immune-competent individuals consume unpasteurized food and that they understand the risks associated with eating unpasteurized food.

Raw or unpasteurized food must never be served to highly susceptible or immune compromised people. Even for immune competent individuals, it’s important that raw and unpasteurized foods are consumed before food pathogens have had time to multiply to harmful levels. With this in mind, the US Food Code requires that such food can only be between 41°F (5°C) and 130°F (54.4°C) for less than 4 hours (FDA, 2009, 3-501.19.B).

http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html

Also, ground meat, as far as I know, carries the exact same risks/guidelines in sous vide as any other cooking method. 


I think Douglas Baldwin's "A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking" is a really good read!

Cliff