[conspire] sous vide question.

[Ross Bernheim]

Alex,

Grinding the meat causes the surface bacteria on the meat to be distributed throughout the ground meat. This is why hamburger should (sous vide excepted) cooked to well done to safely sterilize it. Sous vide can safely cook ground meat at lower temperatures because it Pastureizes the food by holding it at a temperature that will kill the bacteria over several minutes. This is why the cooking times for sous vide take into account both the item cooked and the thickness of the food being cooked.

Ross


>  On Oct 25, 2017, at 9:31 AM, Alex Kleider <akleider at sonic.net> wrote:
> 
>> First, food safety. Normally you need to cook things hot enough to
>> sterilize them for safety. Thus the hamburger should be cooked to well
>> done to kill all the bacteria inside caused by grinding the meat.
> 
> I don't believe that "grinding the meat" by itself ever "caused" bacteria.
> 
> As an aside:
> While traveling on Vancouver Island not long ago, I complained that my hamburger was over done and was told that there they have a law against serving ground meat that isn't well cooked (enough to kill bacteria, as you say.)  I believe the way the law addresses this problem locally is enforcing basic hygiene: clean kitchens and all the signs you see in restrooms reminding employees to wash their hands.
> 
> Different strokes for different folks.