A user asks us: “ I am going to cook 5 cm thick beef tournedos using sous-vide at 55°C. I would like these tournedos to be consumed in two weeks’ time. I was thinking of cooking them for 1 hour 30 minutes, freezing them at -18ºC using a blast chiller, and storing them in a freezer. Do I need a longer cooking time to carry out this process? What would be the ideal cooking time to then preserve the meat? ”
Answer from our chef: To preserve the raw material, the recommended cooking temperature is 65ºC. Thus, it will be safe from the development of any pathogenic agents. I feel that cooking meat at 55ºC for later storage is not the best way.
If the meat is consumed straight after cooking, or even within the following two days, this interval does not give the bacteria time to develop. For two weeks of storage, it must be cooked at 65ºC for an hour at the core of the product and, then cooled and frozen as desired. Even if it is not frozen, cooking in this way allows the product to be stored in a cold room at 4ºC for more than 2-4 weeks. Then the product can be regenerated for consumption.
I understand that at a temperature of 65ºC does not achieve the same result in the meat as cooking at 55ºC, but food safety comes first.
