SOUS VIDE COOKING – UNIFORM, HANDS-OFF COOKING IN HALF THE TIME

Flexible pouches for sous vide cooking represent the category with a predicted growth rate of 25% over the next five years. Pouches are convenient, portable, and environmentally friendly. Once the food is processed and put into a pouch, the pouch itself needs to be pasteurized and cooled. Products we cook & cool include packaged meats, sauces, rice, and vegetables. Water is the most economical and efficient medium for transferring or removing heat.

Pasteurization means having the pouched food items heated for a given period of time and then cooled. Cooling time depends upon the product, density, weight, and recipe, and can vary between 20 to 120 minutes. USDA Regulations dictate that the final product temperature must be close to 40°F or lower in a given period of time. It is important that pouches pass through the Danger Zone (130°F to 80°F) rapidly, where bacteria are most likely to proliferate. Pouches may vary from a few ounces to more than 10 lbs, and in every case, gradual cooling is important so as not to freeze the exterior and end up with a warm core. Lyco has been cooking and cooling with sous vide since 1988. Products include refried beans, soups, chowders, pizza sauce, condiments, mashed potatoes, rice, vegetables, and meats.

Pouches enter and exit the cylinder in a first-in, first-out way. During transit through the machine, a patented agitation system gently stirs the pouches, which ensures accurate and uniform results. Rotary Drum Coolers are so much more effective than belts, spiral belts, and static cooling tanks of water because of agitation. Cooling times are reduced by 40% to 50%, which is a massive improvement in food safety and productivity.

We have test units called “Simulators,” which accurately predict process times and temperatures for heating or cooling raw or pouched products. These Simulators are on skid packages, which we can send to your facility with a technician for your in-house testing.