The recently popular low-temperature cooking method, that is, the use of slow-cooking sticks to cook food at low temperature, has begun to enter the ordinary family kitchen from western restaurants. But for those who are new to slow cooking sticks, they may have questions: How can the food be considered cooked under low temperature and slow cooking?
We simply understand it: protein denaturation. When we are cooking, due to the external heat, the heat will cause the proteins in the ingredients to unfold, fold and change their structure. This process of change is called "protein denaturation", and you can also understand it as "cooked".
This process does not require a large amount of heat energy transfer, only high enough and average heat energy; for fish and meat, the temperature required for protein denaturation is only 50°C to 68°C, that is to say, as long as it is maintained at this temperature, enough to make the food cooked.
So, can low temperature cooking kill bacteria?
Before discussing this matter, we need to understand that there are many external reasons for the growth of microorganisms, such as: water (osmosis), pH, temperature, oxygen, pressure, etc. Let's look at oxygen first. Most food bad bacteria are aerobic. But don't forget, the first step in low temperature cooking is to vacuum the food. In an oxygen-free vacuum environment, most microbial growth problems can be reduced. The second is temperature. Although the temperature range in which microorganisms can survive is wide, the most suitable temperature for breeding is about 20-50°C; while the normal setting temperature for low-temperature cooking usually falls between 50°C and 68°C, and then mix with The long aging process is enough to destroy most bacteria.
Reminder: If you are really worried about bacteria, it is recommended to keep the cooking temperature above 60°C!
