Newbie Here- Storing Leftovers

Joe_Prado_958134

I have looked all over the place and think I found the answer but not 100% sure, so I am reaching out to you folks! Once the sous vide is open, we should treat it just like any other cooked food? Versus if a bag is not opened, it needs an ice bath to be stored correctly?

Thank you in advance, just making sure I dont make my family sick!

montebello1964

Yes, once the bag is open, it is no longer sterile and should be treated like any other cooked food. And it was only pasteurized if you cooked it long enough in the first place. You can see recommended times for pasteurization here (although pasteurization is not required when sous vide cooking, it is a potential advantage of the technique):

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

With regards to an ice bath, that is done to cool the product as quickly as possible so it spends minimum time in the so-called "danger zone" temperature range where bacteria can grow. This is good idea to do before transferring it to the refrigerator (which is less efficient at cooling, so it would stay longer in the danger zone).

Hope this helps.