Food

What is low-temperature cooking?

Bistecca | Enjoy Food & Wine
Written by EFW Staff

A cooking method that has been reconsidered

The low-cooking temperature cooking means to cook meat or fish in the oven for a long period of time at a temperature that can vary between 50° and 75°. This cooking method allow to make the process more delicate to avoid to dry the food, keeping the heat, its softness and the original taste without adding seasoning.

Advantages and disadvantages of the low-temperature cooking

The advantages of this cooking method are the following:

– Uniform cooking because it maintains intact the cellular structure of the product;
– Maintenance of juices or liquids;
– Thinner crust;
– Lost of weight below 50%;
– Easy to cook;
– Less time and energy;
– Maintenance of the characteristics of the food.

Filetto di pesce e verdure| Enjoy Food & Wine

This type of cooking has some limits and disadvantages. In fact, it doesn’t allow to some kind of meat (for instance the steak) to make a crispy external crust. Then there is a more serious problem tied to the hygiene. Low-temperature cooking make difficult the process of elimination of some dangerous bacteria.
To conclude, it is important to pay attention to the quality of the chosen product and to maintain a cooking temperature of at least 65°C, to avoid the spreading of the bacteria.

What happen during the low-temperature cooking?

Meat, fish and eggs are made of fibers, water, proteins and hard tissues. Water evaporates at 100°C and the hard tissues break up starting from 55°C.
Low temperature and longer cooking time for the perfect cooking: the water remains on the foods and a long high-temperature cooking above 55°C allow the hydrolysis of hard tissues.

Low-temperature cooking: foods

For a good cooking is essential that the temperature is constant. The timing are different according to the food that you are cooking.
According to the law, the cooking can’t occur below 65°C. It is advisable to cook veal and pork meat at 68-70°C, roast beef at 54°C, lamb at 68°C, fish at 62°C and tuna at 55°C.

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EFW Staff