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vide Think of the possibilities Hotel rooms Backyards Boats Movie theaters ON FOOD SAFETY Anyone who has taken a ServSafe food-handling course has heard of the “danger zone”: the temperature range between 40° and 140°F where bacteria supposedly multiply at accelerated rates According to ServSafe directives, no food can stay in that zone for longer than 4 hours total Of course, this is strictly absurd Imagine throwing out a ripe Camembert just as it is finally approaching its optimal serving temperature because it’s been on the cheese board for a couple of hours Or think of throwing out jamóns Iberico or prosciutto or even a good old country ham just 4 hours into its months-long curing process, all of which takes place in this so-called danger zone Small fortunes’ worth of dry-aged beef would have to be chucked in the bin to comply with these draconian regulations ServSafe rules, along with the rules set by the U.S Department of Agriculture, are intended to absolutely eliminate the possibility of food-borne illness—they are designed to have a large margin for error, as well as to be simple to understand at the expense of accuracy In reality, any number of factors, including salt level, sugar level, and fat level, as well as water content, can affect how rapidly food will become unfit to consume Not only that, but temperature and time have a much more nuanced effect on food safety than we are led to believe When we talk about fresh food—particularly meat— posing a health hazard, what we’re really talking about is bacterial content and the toxins they can produce As meat sits, bacteria present on its surface will begin to breed and multiply, eventually growing to a dangerous level Below 38°F or so—fridge temperature—the bacteria are lethargic, multiplying very, very slowly Take the meat all the way down to freezing temperatures, and the water necessary for the basic life functions of a bacterium turn into ice, making it unavailable to them That’s why frozen meat can last for months, even years, if properly sealed But when meat gets warmer, the bacteria become more and more active, and they will continue to so until they’ve gotten so hot that they die This kill-temperature can vary from bacterium to bacterium, but in general it’s around 120°F, with the very hardiest (Bacillus cereus) finally kicking the bucket at around 131°F Ah, you’re thinking to yourself, so I only need to cook my meat to 131°F for it to be safe Well, yes and no Just like cooking, destroying bacteria—the process of pasteurization —takes both temperature and time to accomplish (See “Chicken Temperature and Safety,” here.) With a temperature-controlled water bath, you have the ability not only to cook chicken to lower temperatures, but, more important, to hold it there until it’s completely safe to consume What does this mean for a home cook? It means that you no longer have to put up with dry 165°F chicken A chicken breast cooked sous-vide to 140°F and held for 25 minutes is just as safe as chicken cooked to 165°F, and incomparably moister and more tender It glistens with ... very slowly Take the meat all the way down to freezing temperatures, and the water necessary for the basic life functions of a bacterium turn into ice, making it unavailable to them That’s why... months, even years, if properly sealed But when meat gets warmer, the bacteria become more and more active, and they will continue to so until they’ve gotten so hot that they die This kill-temperature can vary from bacterium to bacterium, but in general it’s around... and the toxins they can produce As meat sits, bacteria present on its surface will begin to breed and multiply, eventually growing to a dangerous level Below 38°F or so—fridge temperature—the
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