Reply #2: I'm not sure how you've come to those conclusions [View All]

My limited experience has produced excellent results with meat and I've found it to be more flavorful and moist than other methods. If you are cooking at temperatures below what is required for pasteurization, then yes you can certainly promote bacteria growth, but don't properly there shouldn't be any such worry. In theory there should be the same or less bacteria growth because the heat exchange via water is far more efficient. With proper sous vide cooking, the core temperature actually comes up to target fairly quickly, but it must remain so for longer periods to achieve the same level of pasteurization that would be achieved at higher temperatures.

The off smells associated with decomposition is actually a much longer process which results in more complex chemical reactions than simply bacteria growth alone. That's why you can't adequately judge if a piece of meat is safe to eat by smell alone. Most harmful pathogens and/or the harmful toxins produced by those pathogens can't be smelled or tasted.