ABSTRACT
Sous vide is a French term which literally translated into English means “under vacuum.” The term sous vide takes its name from the hermetically sealed packaging in which the products are processed and stored. An adequate vacuum inside the packaging is critical for all sous vide processing, because atmosphere in the packaging creates a barrier between the cooking medium and the product, resulting in an uneven and more inconsistent thermal process. The Nacka System differed from “true” sous vide processing because the products were not cooked in their packages. Food produced according to the Nacka technique was fully cooked by conventional means prior to being vacuum packaged. The longer thermal-process times and higher temperatures required for fresh sous vide products are necessary to retard spoilage by reducing the population of microorganisms.
