Foodie Science: Molecular Gastronomy and Safety Measures
For food lovers everywhere, cooking has become more than just making meals. The act of taking ordinary ingredients into extraordinary dishes has become more of an art. One way to do this is through molecular gastronomy, a culinary movement that integrates scientific principles and innovative techniques into the preparation and presentation of food. While the results are often visually stunning, it's crucial to explore the safety measures inherent in this experimental form of cooking.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to ensure food safety best practices are still being followed while creating these delectable masterpieces.
Does Molecular Gastronomy Create Dangerous Chemical Contamination?
Molecular gastronomy often involves the use of unconventional substances to make foods behave in certain ways. This can make people nervous if they worry about unsafe chemical contamination in their food.
Established molecular gastronomy ingredients are perfectly safe to consume if you’re eating such food in limited amounts and frequencies. Each dish only contains a small amount of experimental substances.
If you’re the one preparing food through molecular gastronomy, certain chemicals and equipment have their own safety risks. You should always wear protective equipment, such as gloves and goggles, while handling chemicals. Also, be sure that any sous vide cooking is done in food-safe plastic like inert polyethylene that doesn't undergo the chemical leaching of other heated plastics.
Is Sous Vide Cooking Safe from Foodborne Illness?
Sous vide is a molecular gastronomy technique in which you cook food by vacuum sealing it, then slow-cook it in a water bath held at a precise temperature by a special heating device called a sous vide circulator.
The time and temperature at which you cook things are extremely important for food safety (especially for people at heightened risk for food poisoning), so you need to take a few precautions to avoid unsafe results.
Rule #1: Cook Above the Danger Zone
Foodborne pathogens multiply very quickly when they’re at a temperature between 41°F and 130°F. After three or four hours in this “Temperature Danger Zone” (TDZ), the amount of pathogens in food can become dangerous. This is especially important for potentially hazardous ingredients known as Time-Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods.
Anything that needs to be cooked for more than a couple of hours should be cooked above 130°F to avoid leaving food in the TDZ for too long.
Rule #2: Be Careful at the Edge
When cooking at temperatures in or close to the TDZ, use a second form of temperature monitoring rather than relying solely on your sous vide circulator. Circulators typically have sensitive calibration, but near the TDZ, being a few degrees off can make the difference between safe and unsafe food.
Rule #3: Always Pasteurize Certain Foods
Plan your time and temperature to pasteurize (i.e., partially sterilize) certain foods like chicken and other poultry. This is especially important if you're serving pregnant women, toddlers, the elderly, or the immunocompromised (all of whom are at heightened risk for foodborne illness).
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