Currently I’m putting my leftover sous vide meat in the fridge. IMy understanding is they should be good for 1-2 days. I saw a report that vacuum sealing can make them last up to two weeks. But I don’t see that on the Foodsaver website and I haven’t found that any where else. Any one have a definitive answer on how long you can store leftovers in the fridge in a vacuum sealed package?
Even though the meat may have been pasteurised during the cooking process, once they have been released from their plastic prison they are open to pathogens in the air. I would treat leftovers from sous vide just as any other leftovers and use them within a couple of days or freeze them.
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What if the food is cooked and refrigerated still in the vacuum package. For example, lunches. Could a person make up for than a couple of days supply of meat if each individual serving was cooked in vacuum and stored in that original vacuum bag?
Ok. That’s a different situation. In this instance if the pasteurized food is left sealed in its bag and shock chilled and stored in a fridge there is an extended shelf life. The time it remains vuable is dependent upon the storage temperature in the fridge.
There is a section about chilling and storage for later use in Douglas Baldwin’s treatise on sous vide cooking.
Ember is correct Hughe. That report you saw told just part of the the story. The food being vacuum sealed and refrigerated must first be completely pasteurized in its package to have an extended safe storage period.
Vacuum sealing contaminated food can be deadly because the most dangerous pathogens thrive in an air-free environment.
Anyone doing more with sous vide than basic cook-serve needs to be thoroughly familiar with the principles of safe food handling.
Please read Baldwin and put a thermometer in your refrigerator.
I pre cook chicken on the weekend then store a couple days worth in the fridge in the original bag. I always re heat in a skillet at pretty high heat so that takes care of the safety as well. I use a refrigerator thermometer to make sure its at proper range. Never had any issues doing that.
hughe - To answer your storage concern, why don’t you merely freeze (-18°C or 00°F) your leftovers in zip-lock freezer bags if only for a few days or weeks?
IMO, FoodSaver is the worst company when faced with questions concerning health issues, or their overpriced and fragile machines, or their accessories, or their outrageously expensive bags and rolls. Their customer service really sucks.
FoodSaver’s important lack of courage (and honesty) has convinced me to never purchase their products again. As a consequence, I have switched to VacuPack because they proudly stand behind their superior quality products 100%, including some FoodSaver adaptors that are acceptable for vacuuming Mason jars, particularly the wide-mouth type. BTW, you shouldn’t even consider FoodSaver vacuum containers, they all have leaking valves and are therefore useless within a very short time. As a matter of fact, anything that doesn’t have a perfectly hermetic seal will probably leak much sooner than you think. Just my 2¢ bit.
Jim, you will enjoy a better quality chicken if you reheat it in the original bag at the cooking temperature you used. Using “pretty high heat” undoes your gentle SV cook that results in tender and juicy chicken.
Food safety won’t be an issue if you chill promptly after cooking and reheat right out of the refrigerator.
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Where does the “1-2 days” estimate come from? If your refrigerator is at the correct temperature then you should be able to safely store most cooked meats for 3-4 days.
Thanks all. Not sure why I thought 1-2 days. 3-4 days eliminates my problem. I’m finding immersion cooking with ziplocs and fridge/freezer storage meets my needs just fine.
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