Do I have to worry about getting sick with sous vide?

depglass · ‎03-10-2010

I don't know why I'm so leery of this. I guess I'm just afraid the temperature won't get high enough to kill any pathogens, especially with something like chicken. I've always used a meat thermometer with everything and of course I wouldn't want to puncture the bag with one.

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

You can't OVER cook something with sous vide, so if you just let it cook quite a bit longer than called for you should be safe. But, I think they make little thermometers or indicator sticks that you can put in the meat prior to cooking don't they? If you cook in a Ziploc bag you can pull it out and check the temperature and put it back in if you need to.

I haven't jumped on the sous vide bandwagon either. My interest is more for mini cheesecakes than meat bcause I don't like the color of meat cooke with that method and even searing it afterwards still leaves that sick color between the grill marks.

Havarti · ‎03-08-2014

I sous vide all the time and the temp is always correct. I just use a ziplock bag and force the air out before I zip it so it will stay under the water. That way you can take it out and check it any time you want with an instant read thermometer. You don't need to, because you can rely on the temp on the sous vide when the timer goes off to be accurate, but if it makes you feel better at the beginning - just check it. I LOVE my sous vide stick...I hope you will. too.

Snarky responders need not reply. Move along and share your views elsewhere.

Annabellethecat66 · ‎03-12-2010

Ladies, my brain isn't making connections this afternoon.

So, I'm reading the first few sentences and I'm thinking, "OMG! Is this another disease that's been found in animals that people are getting.....I'd better get off right now and look it up....I just ate a chicken standwich yesterday.....OMG! I need to call my daughter and tell her to call me tonight to make sure I'm still alive".

Are you rolling on the floor laughing? You makin' fun of me?

You should be! Sometimes I'm a real ding-bat...I promise you those were my thoughts.

It wasn't until I read the last post that I realized what you ladies were talking about.

So now you know Annabelle (I'm already talking in the 3rd person) is a hypochondriac...(among other things).

KathyM23 · ‎11-20-2010

@Annabellethecat66 That's OK Annabelle. I thought it was going to be a thread about a disease too. I didn't even know there was such a thing a sous vide. I'm not a cook at all.

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

Done right, sous vide is probably safer than other forms of cooking. As to the outside of meat cooked using that method, searing it in a normal pan instead of on a grill will give you a nice crusty, nicely colored exterior. Just get the pan nice and hot, wipe off any moisture on the meat, and a couple of minutes per side should give you a really nice crust.

It's a neat way to cook that should grow in popularity as prices continue to fall. Claire Saffetz, one of the Bon Appetit test kitchen cooks uses a sous vide stick to temper chocolate due to the control it gives her over the temperature. She seals the chocolate in a vacuum bag, adjusts the heat accordingly during the tempering process, then just snips off the tip of the bag to make it into kind of a pastry bag to use the now tempered chocolate.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

You can bring meat to a certain high temperature and it is "done" or you can hold it for a certain time at a lower temperature and it is "done." There are lots of charts about that issue.

That's the way sous vide works. And because it never gets above that temp, it doesn't overcook for a long long time.

Annabellethecat66 · ‎03-12-2010

@KathyM23 Yes! The only reason something finally clicked in my brain (remember I clicked on early in the postings) was because I remembered seeing a presentation on HSN and I think it was with the really cute chef (Curtis Stone). I think it was him. I remembered seeing this boiling water and they kept talking about something; but I didn't see anything except boiling water.

As far as cooking, I don't do it anymore. I just made myself an egg sandwich because I've been craving eggs. Lately, every time I eat them I've been getting sick. I'm trying to find out if all of a sudden I have an egg allergy (that wouldn't be good). Stay tuned....Ha!

I used to cook a lot. I'm 72 and was always a stay-at-home mom. I enjoyed having dinner ready, etc. I'm not a great cook but what I do/did make I was told it was good. My lasagna (supposedly) is liked and the word spread so I was making it for people who'd never even eaten it before! Ha!

Since my husband died and my girls moved everywhere and have lives, well, it's just me and the 2 cats.

I eat lunch out sometimes 4 days a week now. That's my meal for the day. It's rather healthy (the meal), no fast food usually.

Anyway, just the idea of boiling my food to cook it just doesn't appeal to me.

I have so many weird ideas about food, I could write a book about them. If something isn't exactly right (food-wise) I won't touch it. Maybe because I can barely taste or smell so it has to trigger those senses.

Take care and thanks for letting me know I'm not alone in my naivete.

mspatmac · ‎06-10-2015

@Annabellethecat66 wrote:
Ladies, my brain isn't making connections this afternoon.

So, I'm reading the first few sentences and I'm thinking, "OMG! Is this another disease that's been found in animals that people are getting.....I'd better get off right now and look it up....I just ate a chicken standwich yesterday.....OMG! I need to call my daughter and tell her to call me tonight to make sure I'm still alive".

Are you rolling on the floor laughing? You makin' fun of me?

You should be! Sometimes I'm a real ding-bat...I promise you those were my thoughts.

It wasn't until I read the last post that I realized what you ladies were talking about.

So now you know Annabelle (I'm already talking in the 3rd person) is a hypochondriac...(among other things).

@Annabellethecat66 You made my day LOL I really enjoy your post, keep them coming

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

Pasturization is a function of temperature and time. Your food in sous vide doesn't cook in boiling water. It cooks at temps below boiling, but cooks at longer times, enough to kill bacteria that would make you sick.

The food doesn't cook at a temp above what you plan to serve it at, and because of that cooks longer to be safe, with the added benefit of not drying out and being able to be held a long time at that safe and servable temp.

A lot of restaurants sous vide steaks, then sear them on both sides before serving them, so they are fresh, hot and jucier than if they grilled them as the only way of cooking.