I just read (actually read) the French Laundry cookbook.
Very easy read and lots of nice pictures. Basically for high end restaurant use but as a friend lent me his I read it cover to cover.
He recommends refrigerating most things after vacuum packing for 6 hours before sous vide. I am wondering why?
This is practical and almost a necessity in a restaurant environment for efficiency but I don't think that is the reason.
It may be to allow time for any added flavors to be infused into the product. As you say it also allows them to prep ahead of time easing the time pressures in a commercial kitchen.
I'll have to read the book again. After I finish kenji's 2000+ pages. This is another easy to read cookbook. Rarely do I actually read through a cookbook but these are both good reading.
He seems most insistent. Maybe it is to force the kitchen to prep ahead:). Maybe it will compress the meat fibres which doesn't seem like a good thing, but what do I know.