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HOROG
8
Nov 13, 2017
Just curious, Are there any health concern sous-vide? Been interested in it for a long time...
jkiemele
222
Nov 13, 2017
HOROGI've been using a sous vide for years and have never encountered health-related issues. Sous vide offers potential health benefits due to its ability to pasteurize, allowing for safe consumption of foods below normal temperatures achieved conventionally (chicken breast at 145 degrees, for example). Pasteurization is a function of temperature and time. Here's a comprehensive resource: http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html
The only health concerns I know of is cooking below 130 degrees for an extended period of time (more than a few hours) and trying to do something like infusing garlic in oil. Using garlic like this may result in botulism poisoning since the anaerobic bacteria botulinum can reside in garlic and it proliferates in low temperature oil applications.
If you keep extended cooking above 130 degrees and make garlic oil using some other method, it is unlikely you will encounter any health concern. Like anything else cooking, it's important to be smart, know the equipment, and, when in doubt, seek out answers beforehand. And as a general cooking rule, if it looks bad or smells bad, you shouldn't eat it. Yes, there are exceptions like durian, but, in general, it's a good rule of thumb.
AngryAccountant
277
Nov 13, 2017
HOROG@jkiemele makes some good points but also worth pointing out is BPA leeching into foods. Ziploc brand bags are BPA free, and the freezer grade ones are good till around 150 degrees F. Above that you'll want to use a dedicated sous vide bag as the Ziploc's edge seals may get weaker and leak, but that's not a safety issue. Make sure to purchase BPA free sous vide bags if you're cooking anything over 150 (which if you just use it for meats and such, you won't. Pork is great at ~136 iirc, and I like my steaks cooked at 127.5.
If you're still worried about the plastics, you can cook in glass mason jars! https://anovaculinary.com/5-tips-for-precision-cooking-in-canning-jars/ https://food52.com/blog/20028-how-to-use-glass-not-plastic-to-sous-vide-food
Eggs can even be cooked without taking them out of their shell a la boiling, but you can achieve a wide range of textures with incredible consistency.
Also, cut from Chefsteps.com: "...cooking food in plastic bags provided those plastics are BPA free and made with high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, and polypropylene. Research shows you can cook safely with these products, and virtually all sous vide–specific bags are made from them. (The inner layer of nearly all sous vide bags is polyethylene.) And most name-brand food storage bags and plastic wraps are also made of safe plastics like polyethylene. "
jkiemele
222
Nov 13, 2017
AngryAccountant@AngryAccountant, thanks for mentioning the plastics/bags/container point. I totally forgot about this when typing out my reply.
AngryAccountant
277
Nov 13, 2017
jkiemeleBetween the two of us, we've totally got this. I'd never even considered the pasteurization possibilities.
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