i know that higher temperatures relate to doneness but can raising the temperature translate to shorter cook times?
Raising the water temperature will shorten the time required to pasteurize (not cook) your food. You do risk raising the temp to a point where the food exceeds the desired finish temperature, thus may dry out. Better to stick with the finished temperature and pasteurization table as your guide rather than the clock. -Jonathan Kramer
It depends on how you define cook.
With hard working muscles that require long cooks to convert the collagen in the connective tissues to gelatin, then yes. This conversion works on a time at temperature basis. The conversion will happen as low as 130F/54C but it will take a long time. The process happens more rapidly at higher temperatures.
Irae, the quick answer is yes if an appropriate degree of doneness and enjoyment doesn’t matter to you.
What are you trying to accomplish by employing SV cooking?
Short cook times aren’t here.
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When looking at difference recipes for the same item, I have found different temperatures. supposedly for the same doneness. i.e. Corn on the cob I have seen it anywhere from 101-183F.
Yesterday, I cooked Bone in chicken, previously cooked it at 150F, it was delicious, even though i felt it was ever so slightly. (faint tinges of Red around the bones) This time I made the same dish but raised the temp to 155F. That was a mistake the chicken came out hard and rubbery.
I am just learning so I know I’m bound to make mistakes.
Last night I cooked the chicken 1st then the Corn and Asparagus.
I know now that I should have cooked the higher temp items first then lowered the temp to cook the chicken leaving the vegetables in the water as the Chicken cooked at the lower temp.
Congratulations, you are learning with each meal. The red around the bones will only get darker when chicken is overcooked. You won’t get rid of it. Keep using your successes, change your mistakes.
For most foods you are going to learn from recipes there is no precise right or wrong temperature because those various recipes will be based on personal taste judgements. In my opinion, some people practice better judgement than others. That’s all. They are not right or wrong, just different. It’s what pleases you that really counts. That’s what you want to captures as you learn.
Consider:
"Anyone who’s a Chef, who loves food, ultimately knows that all that matters is: "Is it good?
Does it give pleasure?’ "
Anthony Bourdain
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