Discussion of Pasteurization

Could we have a definitive discussion about when and why one would want to pasteurize food when cooking sous vide. It is one of the biggest points of contention that I am running into when talking to others about this cooking method. There seems to be a big belief out there (and growing with the new cheaper circulators) that EVERYTHING needs to be pasteurized because we are cooking at lower than FDA temperatures in some cases. In any case, if we could have a blog post or a video, something that I could point to as a "source" of knowledge about when and why pasteurization is necessary it would be very helpful.

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Jack_Mayer_85396

@Brandon - check out some of the sous vide threads on eGullet.org. I recall Nathan Myrhvold, Douglas Baldwin and others weighing in on this topic. I also agree, it would be nice to see a discussion here. IIRC, in general, if you're going to be at "low" temps for less than 4 hours, pasteurization isn't necessary.

Brendan_Lee_56950

I guess I'm looking for more of a definitive source so I can direct someone to an actual posting. If only everyone had a copy of modernist cuisine!

Pepijn_31744

@Brendan, keep on dreaming buddy.

If you're really squeamish you can use the 'would I have a problem eating this raw' guideline

Vegetables - no

Salt-water fish - no

Beef (not tenderised) - no

etc. etc. etc.

Matt_67991

Just mention that it isn't like a conventionally cooked medium rare steak is pasteurized. Healthy muscle tissue is normally sterile.

Riding in a car is probably more dangerous than eating something cooked so that it tastes good.

Samuel_68313

@Henri In Montreal it's definitely more dangerous, always a good chance of falling into a sinkhole or a bridge collapsing.

I would be interested on more information on pasteurization though, because I definitely don't quite understand when things specifically need to be pasteurized and general guides to achieve it. Right now I basically do what @pepijn suggests.

DiggingDogFarm_65362

I don't think there's an easy answer, it depends on the food and how or when it'll be consumed.

It's probably easier to define what doesn't need to be pasteurized.

Douglas Baldwins stuff is a good reference, especially his International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science article.....

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878450X11000035

Matt_67991

@SamuelG lololol maybe it wouldn't be such a problem if the mafia weren't running the construction industry. Why call an election in the middle of a corruption inquiry? And don't even get me started on the charter.

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