FOOD NEWS
The Toxic Reason Not To Use Raw Garlic For Sous Vide Cooking
BY MATTHEW SPINA
Tossing garlic in the bag with your steak or vegetables before cooking them sous vide may seem like a good way to add extra flavor, but it’s not a risk worth taking.
The sous vide method is all about slow, steady, low-temperature cooking, an environment that can make raw garlic toxic by increasing bacterial growth, which can cause botulism.
Botulism is a severe disease that can cause blurred vision, muscle paralysis, difficulty breathing, and even death. There are much less risky ways to work garlic into your dish.
Sous vide garlic also doesn’t taste that great. It doesn’t brown or develop its flavor in any way, leaving you with an unpleasant, bitter taste in your meal.
Give your garlic a nice sauté or roast it before adding it to your sous vide-cooked food, or add garlic powder directly to your ingredients, which presents no health risks.