OT: Others use sous vide for reheating leftovers? :OT

RRP · September 2017

Don't think I've seen this discussed before, but here goes. With just the two of us then oftentime my egged meals mean leftovers which I actually call make aheads. Since these extra meals are refrigerated for a few days before having them again they need to be reheated. It used to rile me to then overcook these trying to re-warm them on the stove, microwave or oven.That's when I put my sous vide unit into play to warm them gently without cooking. For instance we had left over spare ribs from Saturday so tonight I warmed them for 2 hours at 137. Actually this temperature was my settled on level after past attempts at lower levels.

bgebrent · September 2017

I have discovered the same great use of SV. Proteins and vegetables. Great way to re-up.

JohnInCarolina · September 2017

Yep. We do this all the time with pulled pork. It almost comes out better than it is when it's fresh.

Gym · September 2017

Agreed. We use this method also. Prevents
Leftovers from drying out when reheating

tarheelmatt · September 2017

I'm in this camp, if I have the time to do so, this is my go to. Especially the protein.

bgebrent · September 2017

tarheelmatt said:

I'm in this camp, if I have the time to do so, this is my go to. Especially the protein.

Available time does matter but minimal planning.

blasting · September 2017

I actually got the SV specifically for reheating. I didn't plan on cooking with it.

Now it's the only way I'll cook chicken breasts or chops.

RRP · September 2017

blasting said:

I actually got the SV specifically for reheating. I didn't plan on cooking with it.

Now it's the only way I'll cook chicken breasts or chops.

Good for you...but if chicken breasts and chops are your only other uses you really are missing the boat on the MANY other GREAT cooks/meals the sous vide will deliver into perfection levels for you!

bgebrent · September 2017

Thanks man!

SGH · September 2017

Ron, I just wanted to pop in and say hello. Haven't been on the forum much at all the past 3 months due to work. Glad to see that you are still around. Have a good one brother.

Toxarch · September 2017

I put leftover pulled pork and brisket into smaller servings vac bags and freeze them. Then I sous vide to warm them. Cones out great every time.

enderw30 · September 2017

I just got a SV yesterday and was wondering the same thing. What temp do you guys usually bring leftover pulled pork up to? My first SV cook was a success using Serious eats SV bacon method. I'm doing salmon tomorrow and steak Sat/Sun.

Skiddymarker · September 2017

I think foodsafe hold temp is 140ºF, so that's where I started when using the SV to reheat. Things like pulled pork, chili, or ribs can stand a bit more heat on the reheat mode, IMO. I cook ribs in the sous vide at 147º-150ºF, so reheating at 150º does no harm. Prime rib is excellent when sliced a little thinner than normal and warmed to 132º or so for even 30-40 minutes, still has that nice prime rib flavour.

enderw30 · September 2017

Skiddymarker said:

I think foodsafe hold temp is 140ºF, so that's where I started when using the SV to reheat. Things like pulled pork, chili, or ribs can stand a bit more heat on the reheat mode, IMO. I cook ribs in the sous vide at 147º-150ºF, so reheating at 150º does no harm. Prime rib is excellent when sliced a little thinner than normal and warmed to 132º or so for even 30-40 minutes, still has that nice prime rib flavour.

Thanks for the help! How long do you find it takes to reheat the food? 1-2 hours?

JohnInCarolina · September 2017

enderw30 said:

Skiddymarker said:

I think foodsafe hold temp is 140ºF, so that's where I started when using the SV to reheat. Things like pulled pork, chili, or ribs can stand a bit more heat on the reheat mode, IMO. I cook ribs in the sous vide at 147º-150ºF, so reheating at 150º does no harm. Prime rib is excellent when sliced a little thinner than normal and warmed to 132º or so for even 30-40 minutes, still has that nice prime rib flavour.

Thanks for the help! How long do you find it takes to reheat the food? 1-2 hours?

An hour from frozen works just fine for me. If you freeze something thick you might need longer.

Hans61 · September 2017

Yes it's a great way to reheat leftovers!

RRP · September 2017

Skiddymarker said:

I think foodsafe hold temp is 140ºF, so that's where I started when using the SV to reheat. Things like pulled pork, chili, or ribs can stand a bit more heat on the reheat mode, IMO. I cook ribs in the sous vide at 147º-150ºF, so reheating at 150º does no harm. Prime rib is excellent when sliced a little thinner than normal and warmed to 132º or so for even 30-40 minutes, still has that nice prime rib flavour.

Guess our still being alive tonight makes me question the 140 rule concerning already cooked and then re-frigerated left overs for several days. As I said in my post last night these ribs went from being in our refrigerator (37 degrees) into a 137 degree sous vide bath for 2 hours. Obviously they never got to any 140. I really thought the 140 rule pertained to raw meat - not already cooked meat.

I can't tell you how often I reheat lesser left overs such as taco meat quite often which I know none of those reach any 140 degrees again. Am I missing something or just been lucky all these years?

Lit · September 2017

RRP said:

Skiddymarker said:

I think foodsafe hold temp is 140ºF, so that's where I started when using the SV to reheat. Things like pulled pork, chili, or ribs can stand a bit more heat on the reheat mode, IMO. I cook ribs in the sous vide at 147º-150ºF, so reheating at 150º does no harm. Prime rib is excellent when sliced a little thinner than normal and warmed to 132º or so for even 30-40 minutes, still has that nice prime rib flavour.

Guess our still being alive tonight makes me question the 140 rule concerning already cooked and then re-frigerated left overs for several days. As I said in my post last night these ribs went from being in our refrigerator (37 degrees) into a 137 degree sous vide bath for 2 hours. Obviously they never got to any 140. I really thought the 140 rule pertained to raw meat - not already cooked meat.

I can't tell you how often I reheat lesser left overs such as taco meat quite often which I know none of those reach any 140 degrees again. Am I missing something or just been lucky all these years?

He said hold temp Ron. The rule of thumb until recently had always been to hold food over 140 degrees. The danger zone used to be 40-140. Up to 2 hours fine to refrigerate, 2-4 hours eat or throw out, over 4 hours throw out. I have read the upper end of that has been lowered to around 130 in recent years.

FearlessTheEggNoob · September 2017

I tried my Instant Pot Ultra to reheat about 3-4lbs of brisket at work and it did really well. I McGuyvered a container using a foil covered aluminum pie that i shaped to fit inside, added a cup or two of water (to the stainless liner, not the food), set it on 2hrs @ low slow cooker mode with keep warm feature enabled...and walked away. Came back 4hrs later and everything was spot on.

I've used my SV Demi to do the same thing and it worked fine, but I liked this way better. less messy, and also a great result. Of course this was a potluck scenario instead of home, and I didn't bother to vac pack anything in advance.

I did some research and found some stainless stackable containers made for using inside the instant pot.

NorthPilot06 · September 2017

Echoing what @Lit said, it's generally not adviseable to hold something at < 140 for over four hours (now edging closer to 130).

But then again, we wouldn't have SV chuck roasts

OT: Others use sous vide for reheating leftovers? :OT

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