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Sous vide: put food in once water reaches target temp?

Grace_95227

Hey guys, a question popped up in my mind the other day:

What is the best practice for sous vide steps? Do you all put your cold(er) food into the water at the beginning (when it's heating) or once it reaches target temp? My understanding is the latter, but do you lengthen your cooking time for the drop in temp?

Or does the first method post significant food safety issues?

Thanks!

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Grace_95227

Thanks @Johan and @Brendan!

Brendan_Lee_56950

your fridge doesn't come with a light? haha jk

seijoed

I second that, I think it is more important to clean the counters say after doing chicken that you pre-sear and put in a bag, not to mention that you keep those dark corners in the fridge clean

Brendan_Lee_56950

Well as @chris has noted before, unless your meat has been mechanically tenderized, the inside should be fairly sterile and bacteria free and if you pre-sear and freeze with bagging it should be just fine. I tend to think of it this way, in most cases we are the only way bacteria gets introduced into the foods so with proper care and attention to sanitation we can reduce that risk.

Grace_95227

That makes sense @Brendan. I guess that's also one of the factors confusing newbies and they rather go with conventional methods without such food safety concerns...

Grace_95227

@Johan - sure I agree with you here on those long timing ones with temps above 54C. What I fear is for those shorter and unpasteurised cooking times, say a steak pre-seared then frozen, then SV medium rare. I guess stating the assumptions before the recipe helps!

Brendan_Lee_56950

@grace yeah that's definitely the biggest gripe I hear from people just starting out. I think there needs to be a primer on what exactly happens with food over time with regards to collagen and gelatin so folks can make informed decisions about time in the bath rather than relying on recipe times. I liken this to frozen pizza baking, just because it gives you instructions on the back to cook at 400F for 18-22 minutes doesn't mean that once the timer hits 22 its guaranteed to be done, you gotta look for signs and know what you want from the final product.

seijoed

I think that equilibrium time with frozen foods matter very little - especially over a longer cooking process. I have found the SVS recipes to constantly be at much higher temps than what I prefer.

Grace_95227

@Johan, @Brendan, thanks! It's just with different set ups (immersion circulators, SVM, SV supreme), I wonder if recipes are coming out inconsistent due to that time difference (between these systems) in reheating the bath to target temp once food is dropped in.

Especially on the point of frozen food. It seems normal practice and in fact ideal as @Chris mentioned for some food items. I wonder what the typical sous vide recipes' default assumption of food temperature (room, fridge, frozen) are, as surely for unpasteurised cases (and depending on the SV set up used) there could be a case where they are undercooked...

Brendan_Lee_56950

Yeah, i guess I should clarify I sometimes drop in veg before it hits target temp but I don't start timing anything until it hits target temp.

seijoed

Target temp, then it is easier to calc pasteurization as well as heat time, I think

Without it you'd need a probe for everything.

Brendan_Lee_56950

I tend to always put it in when it reaches target temp for consistency purposes. The drop in temp and subsequent rebound time is going to also depend on the SV machine/setup your using. In my DIY version I am using a 1000W heater so the rebound is practically non-existent when factored into the overall time. If your heating from frozen your going to have to account for a time difference though.

I sometimes throw in vegetables before the bath is up to temp but not usually with proteins.