harryotto

I think what's interesting about this thread is that it forgets one important point; thermometers are calibrated at temperatures thermal circulators never see - specifically 32F and 212F. I've already had to calibrate* the offset of some Sous Vide Pro circulators but use the most accurate calibration tool in the world to do it; a CVS baby thermometer (not IR based). Why? First, they're deadly accurate in the 98-104F range. Second, 100F is much closer to the temperatures we tend to circulate at. The accuracy of a thermocouple tends to offset every 10 degrees or so in either direction. Although, the 32-212F calibration attempts to carve a linear graph to compensate, the baby thermometer technique works best as you can always get 100F direct from the tap. *And it's always a good idea to "default" the unit before calibration. Great when the unit displays errors as well: 1. With the unit unplugged, press and hold UP ARROW while plugging in. 2. Release UP ARROW and press POWER button.

I've done this trick with 20 rib roasts at events. Incidentally, read the FSIS safety charts and you'll see that 131F is a safety zone and more importantly, for 6-8 hours, you're fine. I've prepared HACCP plans to back this. 1. Get yourself 2 thermometers with external probes (BBQ types). 2. Probe your rib-cut and oven separately. 3. Set your oven to a moderately high setting and decide on a "target" point, say 300F. I've had incredible results cycling higher temps because you can achieve amazing browning. 4. When the oven reaches "target", shut it down and wait will it drops to 140. Fire it back up and repeat the process until you reach your target internal temp. The longer you can keep the roast in the oven, the gentler the process and greater the results. This process cooks the roast perfectly and allows additional tenderization to take place as the collagen contracts and is allowed to expand (prior to protein hydrolysis) as the temperature drops each time. Your best friend here would be a cheap wireless "alarm" type thermo that will beep when the internal temp reaches, say 130 (try a Redi-Chek Remote ET-72). At this point you can keep a close eye on the temperature with a real pen in various locations (Thermoworks, etc.). This process by far beats the "open and close the oven door" 20 times to maintain the ultra low temperature environment. Although this technique works well for dehydrating foods if UPS hasn’t delivered your Excalibur yet.

The lowdown on the NYC "Ban"... When the New York City Department of Health came down on some of the restaurants for vacuum packing foods, as well as sous vide cooking, they did so because some of the kitchens could not properly articulate a well designed HACCP Plan. The day after the Health Department began giving out violations, kitchens like WD-50, Daniel and Per Se got in touch with food scientists and developed written HACCP plans. The health department inspectors saw food being packed in unsanitary conditions and held outside of the temperatures that would prevent the formation of the Botulism toxin from Clostridium Botulinum spores. If you MAP vacuum pack food for holding or sous vide, it must be kept at 37F or below. No exceptions. Even if your pH is under 4.6 (what would be considered highly acidic), without a solid grasp and understanding of pH and spore growth, the health department doesn't want to hear about it. As far as ribs being sealed and cooked 36 hours at 131F, you could not create a botulism toxin if you tried. The USDA, after inoculating their samples with 1,000,000 times the amount of spores normally found in food, were able to develop a toxic strain in 8 days, under the perfect pH and temperature values (around 79F). In other words, in takes weeks and weeks, if not months, for a sous vide pack to create a botulism toxin. So what's the problem? Problem is that when health inspectors asked these cooks what their safety plan was, they looked at the inspectors with no answers. In my restaurant, and the restaurants that I have taught to properly vacuum pack and store foods, they must follow a solid safety plan as follows: 1. The vacuum sealer, either MAP chamber or foodsaver style, must be located in a separate and sterile environment 2. You must have your specs & permeability ratings from your bag supplier. They must be food grade. 3. You must have a sticker on each bag, in English and Spanish, stating "WARNING - MUST BE KEPT AT 37F or FREEZING - DANGER". 4. You must date each package. USDA recommends no more than 2 weeks holding time. 5. Someone must be able to reference the 2005 Food Code and USDA recommendations on MAP preserving. If anyone has any specific questions on foods, food borne illness and how they relate to MAP sealing and sous vide, please ask.

Thomas Keller is going to cover a great deal of Sous Vide in his soon to be released book, "The Complete Keller". July, Maybe.

Ruth, 24 hours is a pretty "safe" envelope of time. However, you may want to "nix" the reference to protein in your question. Clostridium Botulinum spores are found on just about any organic compound whether it be a carrot or an osso buco. Here's what's needed for a quick growth: 1. Food with a pH value of 4.6 or above (the less acidic the more chance), and 2. An anaerobic environment (could even be within a sausage casing), and 3. An optimum growth temperature of about 79F. When these 3 guidelines are met, you're almost guaranteed to allow for toxic growth. The scariest part of this is that the Botulism toxin that we are concerned with is "non-proteolytic" which means it creates its own protein and does not break down the cells in the food it infects. This is why it can’t be seen or smelt. If anyone in this thread has legitimate concerns on whether their “techniques” are safe, just post and I’ll provide a safety plan along with references to the 2005 FDA Food Code & USDA guidelines. References to food pH values can be found here: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/chap2.html Harry Otto

I have to interject on this one guys. When I teach sous vide techniques, one of the first questions I ask a chef is "what does botulism smell and look like?". Then, depending on the answer I get, I know if I have to do an FBI (food borne illness) lecture before focusing on sous vide techniques. If I ever told a health department official I kept PHF (potentially hazardous foods) in an anaerobic environment for 30 days, he would mark my MAP chamber vacuum as "unapproved appliance", slap me with a fine and warn me that continued use would constitute a misdemeanor, as was the case in New York City. The reasoning behind the New York City ban was botulism. When you vacuum seal a PHF, and let it sit on your counter, as the health inspectors found, you are creating a serious health risk. Botulism toxin can not be seen or smelt. Botulism can survive and grow at 38F. The USDA has been able to culture the Botulism toxin from Clostridium Botulinum spores in 6-8 days. Botulism will kill you. The better your vacuum, the more anaerobic, the more the chance of Botulism. If you are going to vacuum seal your PHF, you must either enjoy your meal, or keep it below 36F or, better yet, freeze it. ”smell and taste first “ will kill you. In New York, most of my restaurants are developing iron clad HACCP plans to address the Botulism issues. Written logs must be kept, stickers must be placed on the bags with temperature warning statements and the bags must meet certain criteria. This is a serious issue with our health department. Even for home use, you should always follow certain guidelines. For example, if you’re going to sous vide a piece of salmon, you’d better freeze first or risk the anasakid nematode parasites (round worms). They’ll get into you intestinal tract and bury themselves while they continue to grow. Whatever the PHF, you have to do your homework. Have fun guys. Harry Otto Restaurant & Hospitality Management Services New York

Thermistor in place, heater coil ready to go. All you need is a digital readout, a very high power rheostat or “SPST low voltage relay” to control your AC, an iron clad calibration method and a circuit to regulate the heater-thermostat relationship. I can't wait till you finish this. You're about half way to completing the Polyscience $1300 immersion circulator. Eagerly awaiting your next post. Let me know if you get stuck on the pump portion. Have some great ideas for you.

Bryan: I did a Salmon 3 ways as a special at one of the restaurants I “consult chef” in. Salmon Sous Vide, Salmon Confit & Blackened (on a searing skillet). When I put my salmon in a pouch, it goes in with nothing. I do 113F with a Precision Brand Water Bath and top it off with parsley oil (parsley & Spanish unfiltered EVOO in a blender) and a touch of Mother of Salt & White Pepper. When I do a Salmon Salad, the Sous Vide Salmon is placed over EVOO’d baby arugula with the same EVOO and Saba reduced Vinegar. No real need to spice up fish prior to placing in the bag. Do you have any other temps for fish & vegetables? You started a real nice post here.

Great Ideas. The low temp par boiling is a technique too few chefs utilize. Many I speak with look at me with a confused look when speaking of starch cells & granules. I must say I take this a bit further. After completing the double blanching, I send my potatoes and about 5% butter through the ricer. I never beat, fold or touch my mash with a spoon. I put the mash back into the ricer up to 4 times so the butter completely incorporates. Whatever ingredients are used in my mash is sent through the ricer. I use our regular Kosher sea salt but “powderize” it with a coffee grinder. If the salt does not dissolve, the salt granules sometime clump and present themselves as lumps. Sometimes I will serve the puree by plating directly from a hand held potato masher while moving on top of the plate. The potatoes almost appear as linguine on the plate. I've done this with three different colors (orange, purple & white). I’ll sometime plate the protein directly in the middle