Vacuum packaging guidelines

ejf12009

Throughout the ChefSteps courses and community I've seen occasional recommendations not to package delicate food with a vacuum sealer, or to not compress fish too much, etc. Or even for more sturdy foods: I think I recall a Dave Arnold post (which I cannot now find) about a taste test of chicken vacuumed at different levels which generally found excessive vacuum to be undesirable. Is there a quick reference for appropriate vacuum levels for various foods?

lfmichaud

Here's the link you're looking for: http://www.cookingissues.com/2009/06/17/boring-but-useful-technical-post-vacuum-machines-affect-the-texture-of-your-meat/

The main points are that beef is not really affected by vacuum levels but especially for chicken and fish the lower the vacuum level the better. Water displacement is probably the best method and a little oil in the bag generally improve the results.