Page 39 - Sous Vide Que

temperature of the food to a safe range of 34 to 38°F. This is faster than just tossing it in the fridge or freezer because, as we know, water conducts heat better than air. Once the food has remained in the ice bath for at least 30 minutes, it can be refrigerated or frozen.
It turns out that chilling sous vide meats may have an additional benefit, according to the AmazingRibs.com Science Advisor Prof. Greg Blonder. While far from conclusive, Blonder notes that "First, as the meat is reheated, the pH begins to rise (it becomes less acidic), thereby enhancing tenderizing enzymatic activity [enzymes are inhibited by low pH which is high acidity]. Second, tenderizing enzymes like calpain are always paired with inhibitory proteins like calpastatin. In the live animal these two are part of a regulatory cycle that keeps muscles healthy and sweeps out dead cells. Their levels are maintained in balance. When the animal dies, although no new enzymes are produced, they remain active. As you raise the temperature via the controlled water bath, enzymes increase in activity and more are released from damaged cells.
"It is possible that the antagonist calpastatin degrades more easily than calpain, leaving more calpain available to tenderize the muscle. So when you sous vide you break apart muscle because calpain is more active, and when you cool the meat it still keeps working because the inhibitory enzyme has been used up."
When it is time to serve, searing may be all that is needed to re- therm thin foods, but you may want to put it back in a water bath, oven, grill, smoker, or microwave to get it back up to a palate- friendly temperature between 130 and 140°F. Considering this potential tenderizing effect, the cook-chill-warm method is one that will certainly have an important place in the evolution and growth of sous vide que.
Sauces From The Bag
Depending on time and temperature, there is a significant amount of purge of protein laden water trapped in the bag. The quantity
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