Reheating with Sous Vide--Methods and Food Safety

[Polarbear777]

So to simplify.
1. If you pasteurized it in a bag and you don’t undo that, you are fine bacterially speaking but maybe not from autolysis.

2. You certainly don’t want to heat beyond the temp you originally SVd at, because then what’s the point of the SV? If that temp isn’t high enough to make it safe quickly (say 165F) then it better be above 131F and you need to run the clock to re-pasteurize.

3. If it’s leftovers you’ve broken the safe cook and you either should run SV to pasteurization or use a faster reheating method to minimize zone time.

I’ve reheated PP with SV in the past but now questioning that decision...

[fzxdoc]

You mean you've reheated PP via sous vide in the past and are now questioning that decision, Polarbear777 ? Just clarifying.

At this point, I agree with your summarization. Thanks for putting it in a nutshell.

Kathryn

[Mike Nilsen]

I used to reheat using the sous vide all the time and it's my preferred method.

When I cook a big hunk of something, anything designated as leftovers is vacsealed asap and into the fridge or freezer it goes. This is just a habit for me because I like to clean up as much as possible before feasting or else the kitchen will still be a disaster come morning. So my leftovers generally dont sit out too long for all this bacteria mumbo-jumbo.

Even when I have a chunk of brisket on the counter at a get together that's nibbled on for an hour or two before being packed away, I've never had any issues reheating with the sous vide.

I do not reheat steaks or chicken or anything else really in the sous vide. This is generally reserved for ribs, brisket and pulled pork.

Having said all this, I rarely use my actual sous vide machine for this. Typically, I boil a bunch of water, take the thawed and still sealed bag out of the fridge, and throw it in once the water is going full boil. I come back 15 minutes later and my food is nice and hot and as tender and moist as when it came off the smoker. For leftover steak, assuming you prepare your steak from a medium-rare to medium like a civilized human, this is no good obviously.

I give away a ton of BBQ each year as christmas presents and instruct recipients to reheat this way if they want super tender. I know they all just microwave it anyways but what can ya do? Assuming some of them actually followed my directions, no one has ever reported any issues.

[Larry Grover]

When you put the bag in the boiling water do you turn the heat off?

[Mike Nilsen]

yep. sorry, omitted that small detail.

[Potkettleblack]

For casseroles and such, I prefer the science oven, aka the microwave. For soups, I freeze them flat in ziplocks, and Sous Vide works pretty well to bring out of the freeze and then science oven or stovetop to temp. I don’t recall doing enchiladas.

[HouseHomey]

That would be "Chef Mike."

[fzxdoc]

I'm officially renaming my microwave Chef Mike. Thanks, HouseHomey for the laugh.
K.

[Potkettleblack]

Also, I am much more concerned about food safety with dry age than with Sous Vide. Having actually made myself ill.

[fzxdoc]

I don't dry age meats for that reason. Again, it's a scary notion for me. I don't know enough about the safety of the process to know whether it's a good idea, so my personal choice is not to do it.
K.

[fzxdoc]

I have scoured the interwebs to see if there are articles that say that sous vide reheating is safe and have yet to find one. But I'll keep looking, because it would be so convenient!

I find lots of articles that say it's easy, that it preserves the taste, etc., but those articles don't address food safety concerns.

When I cook I sometimes feed elderly folks and little babies who are more vulnerable than the hopefully hardy folks in between those ages. I am always concerned about the risk of doing harm with a well-intended meal.

Thanks, everyone, for your comments. As usual, I learn a lot from this community. At this point I won't be using sous vide to reheat foods.

Kathryn

[Potkettleblack]

I'm gonna circle back and suggest that, while I might consider ChefSteps a wee bit cowboy (they don't seem to do much shocking being one reason I think this), I think they would have a liability if you followed the advice in this article:

https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/sous-vide-a-simple-and-stress-free-way-to-reheat-almost-anything

And you poisoned some folks.

So, I think portioning pulled pork, vac sealing, shocking cold, and then using SV at 133 or so along their time recommendations for slab (because I'd pack flat to maximize fridge/freezer space). If you're really into it, you could break down an 8 lbs shoulder into 16 single serve packets. Life with the wife would almost necessitate that, since she won't always want to eat the shredded pork when I will.

[Polarbear777]

So you are basically reapplying the pasteurization before storage?

Makes since but I’m coming around to just using a faster heating methods for leftover PP because that seems more practical.

[choffert]

Another thing to remember is that pasteurization is not just temperature, but time at temperature...

[Ernest]

Large items cooked sous vide.
cook, shock, portion, vacuum seal, pasteurize, freeze.

portioned items
Vacuum seal, Sous Vide, shock, refrigerate or freeze,

Reheat via sous vide.
almost everything for years.
Excellent for BBQ leftovers.

Any worries, NOPE, NONE, ZERO, ZIP, NADA

[Ernest]

Thank you for the reminder..

[CaptainMike]

De nada!

[hogdog6]

Ditto