5 minutes average read.
Sous vide is a cooking method that requires you to put food into vacuumized plastic food safe pouches which are then placed in water controlled at exactly the right temperature. Exact temperature control allows the user to have precise control over the texture and amount the product is cooked to allow users to deliver the perfect quality desired time and time again. Cooking and storing in vacuumized pouches increase the shelf life of products and is also known to enhance taste and nutrition. Now let’s look at the basic technique, the food safety requirements i.e HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control point) principles and science behind Sous vide cooking.
Sous vide is French for “under vacuum” and has been used by some of best restaurants in the world since 1970s but has become more widely known and used since the the mid-2000s and has seen rapid growth since in restaurants and home cooking.
There are various benefits from vacuum-sealing: heat can be efficiently transferred from the water to the food; extends shelf life by preventing aerobic bacterial growth; eliminates risk of contamination while in storage; prevents oxidation of foods and prevents loss of flavour and moisture during cooking.
Precise temperature control offers the benefit of precise reproduction of food when cooked using this method. Temperature and time control can be used to allow price control over the level of doneness; this method can also be used to pasteurise food or make it safe at much lower temperatures without having it to over cook it. This method can also be used to slow cook at a low temperature to make tougher cuts of meat more tender and still serve them medium or medium rare.
Vacuum packaging
It is recommended when packaging to get as strong as seal as possible. For firm foods this it typically 10-15 mbar and 100-120 mbar for liquids. However vacuum packaging at 10-15 mbar can significantly degrade the taste and texture of meat and fish. It is recommended to get a 90-95% vacuum-seal at a pressure of 30-50mbar. This method prevents the food from being degraded and prevent the vacuum pouch from floating during the cooking process.
Basic Techniques
There are two types of cooking techniques: cook-hold or cook-serve and cook-chill or cook-freeze. Cook-hold or cook-server consists of placing the prepared food ingredients into the packing, vacuum packaging it then heating or pasteurizing, finishing usually sealing in aPan for colour and then serving. Cook-chill or cook-freeze consists of preparing for packaging, vacuum packaging, pasteurizing, rapid chilling, refrigerating or freezing, reheating, finishing, and serving.
Food Safety
Sous vide is all about maximizing and minimizing the risk of foodborne pathogens. Pathogenic microorganisms can be controlled through various methods but sous vide cooking relies on temperature control. As food business owners you probably know the “danger Zone” as being between 8°c and 63°c however these temperatures can be negated by cooking for longer at a lower temperature. A common food pathogen C.perfringens will stop multiplying at 52.3°c, other pathogens such as Salmonella species, L. monocytogenes, and the pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli will take up to 2 ½ hours in a 54.4°c water bath (Lowest recommend temp) to reduce E.coli to safe levels. It is recommended that the core temperature of the food placed in the bath reaches 54.4°c within 6 hours to keep C. perfringens to less than 10 generations.
Sous vide is used with in the food industry to extend shelf-life of foods. When pastursed sous vide food pouches that are held below 3.3°c and remain safe for up to 3-4 weeks. The longer shelf life methods are predominantly used in manufacturing. Food sealed in vacuum packaged pouches prevents recontamination after cooking however the mild treatment of pasturisation does not eliminate the spores of C. botulinum, C. perfringens, and B. cereus. It is therefore essential to rapidly chill the food and freeze or store it at :
· below 2.5 °C/36.5 °F for up to 90 days,
· below 3.3 °C/38 °F for less than 31 days,
· below 5 °C/41 °F for less than 10 days, or
· below 7 °C/44.5 °F for less than 5 days
HACCP
Sous vide is complex science-based cooking method and should be based upon the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system. This is what Food Safety Compliance offers our partners, we provide a full bespoke HACCP system for your business along with the necessary training.
Conclusion
Vacuum packaging improves shelf life of food by removing the risk of recontamination, reduces change in flavours from oxidation. Reduces the loss of nutrients during the cooking process.
The sous vide cooking method is a powerful tool in a modern kitchen or manufacturing. Precise temperature control reduces pathogens to a safe level at lower temperatures, allows better control over the doneness of foods and gives superior reproducibility all while giving a better texture over traditional cooking methods.
If you would like to know more and introduce this method into your business then get in touch with Food safety Compliance and we will be happy to guide you through the process.