Safe temperature/time for LTLT cooking

[jackal10]

Great to see you here!

You are doing a real service for the food industry, and the world.

Any chance of a companion volume with illustrative recipies in it?

Alas, the UK edition is not due for another few weeks, so I don't know if this is already answered in your book...

With the current trend to long time low temperature cooking of meats, I wonder if you could point me to any references to work on time/temperature profile needed to ensure sterility. I've seen mention of work at the University of freading, but I can't find the source, that says things like 12 minutes at 60C, but 45 minutes at 58C. I'd like an authoratative source that I can show the food police, who would otherwise insist on restaurants and institutions serving overcooked beef.

Jack

Edited November 10, 2004 by jackal10 (log)

[Harold McGee]

Jack, I know there are tables of the sort you describe, but I haven't been able to lay my hands or eyes on one this past week. I'll keep looking. Just one point, though--these kinds of temperatures would only "pasteurize," not sterilize. They reduce bacterial numbers by several factors of 10, but don't take them to zero, as high temp canning and pressurized steam do.