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Comment by MobileVet | Hacker News Reader

My go to site when cooking thicker than normal steaks via Sous-vide

With sous-vide, I'm always wondering a little bit about food safety (BPA and friends). Is there any reason to be concerned or is it just FUD?

This link gets into food safety aspects. Sous-vide is technically a pasteurization process in a way. http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html

I think he meant specifically of "cooking in plastic":

https://www.packagingdigest.com/food-packaging/most-food-can...

I use:

http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html

Sous-vide is just amazing isn’t it? I won’t cook steak any other way since I got my circulator. I have never tried the liquid nitrogen though!

I've had a Sous-vide setup for years and will use it for just about everything, except steaks. No matter what I try I cannot get results anywhere near as good as I get with a simple reverse sear.

Oh interesting... I have tried both and had the opposite experience. A steak Sous-vide to rare and then finished on an ultra hot cast iron skillet with oil, butter, fresh herbs comes out better and more consistent than the reverse sear. How long are you leaving your steaks in the water? Are you putting oil, butter, or any aromatics into the sealed bag?

Yep, totally spoiled now. Can’t eat a steak at a restaurant or anyone’s house after sous-vide.

I also have a great marinade that we add to the bag while it cooks. Seriously, it is ridiculous.

May I enquire about this marinade? :-)

Why do you need the site? I played around with the site, and it doesn't look like it makes a difference if you cook it sous-vide for 20 minutes or 2 hours? (I've never cooked anything sous-vide)

Sous vide needs way more than 20 minutes, but you are correct that once it's reached the target internal temp, the time doesn't much matter (beyond going too far).

Typically, about 90 minutes is a good spot for almost all temps with steak, a little more if it's a thick steak.

For tender cuts of meat (like a good steak) it might be true that temperature is what matters. But cooking sous vide for 12-24 hours can turn a tough cut into incredibly tender juicy meat - the connective tissue needs time as well as temperature to break down.

It's quadratic. You need four times longer for a steak that's twice as thick.

I've certainly overcooked more than a few steaks due to cooking too long, not too hot. Also, it seems it sometimes depends on meat quality (not just the cut). Or maybe it was the sear that I tend to overdo.

In a series of highly (un)scientific experiments the 'Sous Vide Everything' youtube channel concluded that you arguably improve the texture by cooking meat longer by sous-vide, but the flavor deteriorates. I reproduced this result at home.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpFuaxD-0PKLolFR3gWhrMw

There's definitely a point when the texture starts to get worse, too. IMO it starts before the flavor degrades significantly, though the timing totally depends on the cut of meat and connective tissue.

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