Page 44 - Sous Vide Que

which pathogen are we talking about? And all bets are off if it sits on the kitchen counter for an hour or so.
So who says 7D is the right number? The European Union considers 6D to be pasteurized in many cases. If you are willing to accept a 6D kill rate the time and temperature to pasteurize go down. If the meat is extremely clean to start, and if it has a very low load of pathogens, it can reach pasteurization faster.
The salient point for sous vide is that all these numbers were calculated for cooking under more common circumstances, not in a vacuum bag, and not anaerobically (without oxygen). Some bugs, notably the murderous strains of Clostridium botulinum, the bug that causes botulism, love it when you to take away the air, as you do when cooking sous vide.
Furthermore, the government numbers are based on growth rates in a lab in nutrient broth. Add salt, sugar, oil etc. and the numbers will change.
Many websites recommend sous vide cooking in the 120 to 130°F range and many people believe that bacteria can't grow at or above 120°F. This is wrong. Most foodborne pathogens such
as Salmonella, Listeria, and pathogenic strains of E. coli cannot grow at or above 120°F, but some thermophilic bacteria such
as Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus love those temperatures.
It is important to note that some bacteria produce toxins that can outlive the bacteria themselves, remaining behind after cooking, lurking. This is why it is important to keep your refrigerator between 33 and 38°F, to not keep foods in there for long, and to not leave foods sitting out at room temperature before cooking as many recipes recommend.
Here is a table that shows the optimum growth temperatures and maximum growth temperatures of common bacterial pathogens. It
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