Can we really overcook in sous vide? update

In my previous post I mentioned that I would be cooking 4 steaks of equal size and weight for different durations at 131 degrees F.  The test is done and the pics are below:

(allow me to apologize in advance for the pictures and plating.. I was kind of in a rush!)

steaks portioned out and measured

cryovacked and labeled

chilling under cold tap water for 10 minutes

chilling in an ice bath

here are the steaks after being cooked + chilled in the refrigerator

here they are after a quick sear

from left to right, starting from the top — 45mins, 1.5 hrs, 3 hrs & 4 hrs @ 131 degrees F

Conclusion?

Well there wasn’t much of a difference in texture between steak #1 (45mins) and steak #4 (4 hours).  I would definitely like to try it for times longer than 4 hours to see when exactly an increase of toughness or breakdown of muscle begins.. as for the hanger steak?  Must’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere!

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~ by chefxyz on December 30, 2009.