Information Norms & Procedures

 

Sous vide is a relatively new way of cooking. Unlike cooking over fire, which mankind has grown familiar with over thousands of years, it is not something that most people have an intuition for. That is why there is a great need for information on sous vide, but much of what is available online, in books, and training courses is confusing and sometimes even contradictory.

ISVA is committed to being an independent, objective, and reliable source of information on sous vide for the sous vide community. To safeguard those values, ISVA has implemented the following norms and procedures.

  • Peer review: all information is reviewed by a minimum of two (2) committee members before it is published by ISVA

  • Recipes: all recipes are prepared and tasted by a committee member who was not the recipe author before they are published by ISVA

  • Endorsement of books, websites, training courses: ISVA will only endorse books, websites, or training courses after a vetting process. The vetting will check whether information follows the same guidelines with respect to time and temperature, preference versus fact, and facts, as outlined below. Vetting will occur for at least five (5) randomly selected articles or recipes when a site applies to get endorsed, and then one (1) new article or recipe every quarter. The vetting report is completed by an ISVA committee member and checked off by another member before endorsement occurs. Both vetting members may not be affiliated (other than through ISVA) with the author or trainer.

  • Time and temperature: wide ranges are provided (within food safety limits and clearly indicating boundaries, such as vegetables won’t cook under a certain temperature) with a description of what to expect rather than a single time and temperature. Descriptions like “most cooks prefer” or “some cooks prefer” are allowed.

  • Preference versus fact: in all information published by ISVA, a clear distinction is made between what is a fact and what is a (personal) preference.

  • Facts: information that is presented as a fact is supported by controlled experiments that have been replicated by a committee member, or are based on peer reviewed scientific literature. The mere fact by itself that a known chef or writer claims something does not make something a fact.

    • The ISVA website and terms and conditions will include the following disclaimer: “ISVA cannot and does not substitute for legal or health advice about food regulations in any legal jurisdiction, nor can we guarantee that following the information presented by ISVA will prevent foodborne illness. Unfortunately, the many variables associated with food contamination make eliminating all risk and preventing all infections virtually impossible. We cannot accept responsibility for either health or legal problems that may result from following the advice presented by ISVA. If you operate a commercial establishment and serve food to the public, consult the rules and health regulations in your area.”

  • Forum: these norms should also apply to information that is on a Facebook group, forum or Q&A that is hosted or endorsed by ISVA. Enforcement will be via ex-ante moderation (see descriptions below).

    • Ex-ante moderation - nothing gets posted before it is cleared by a committee member

    • Ex-post moderation - everything is checked and removed if needed by a committee member

    • Report & review - only if an answer is reported by a user it is checked by a committee member

  • Approved devices: ISVA does not review devices but approves devices that meet the following baseline criteria. No approved device is better than another according to ISVA.

    • As new models of previously approved devices are released, ISVA will retest each new model it is provided with and approve according to ISVA standards. Older models will continue to be listed on the site. If a new model is not provided to ISVA for testing, the new model will not be listed as approved.

    • If ISVA decides to approve other types of accessories (vacuum sealers, bags, etc.) in the future, established norms and processes will be created and agreed upon before the approvals are listed on the ISVA site

Time To Heat: Room Temp to Low Temp

Heats 8L water from from 23C / 75F to 60C / 140F within 45 minutes


Time to Raise: Low Temp to High Temp

Heats 8L water from from 60C / 140F to 83C / 183F within 40 minutes


Temperature Consistency

Maintains temperature within 1F for low and high temperatures.

Advertisements: at the present time, ISVA does not plan to sell advertisements on its website. If at any point ISVA decides to sell advertisements, established norms will be created and agreed upon in advance. Ads sold and managed through a third party (such as Google) are allowed (for example, ads automatically placed by Google on videos uploaded to YouTube).

  • ISVA will manage a directory page of sous vide affiliate companies in categories that are not included on the list of approved devices. Companies may be added to the directory as a benefit of sponsorship, exhibiting at an ISVA event, or by payment via a percentage of proceeds from sales generated on the ISVA website. The directory will include a disclaimer that:

    • Being listed in the directory does not imply that resources have been tested or are approved by ISVA

    • ISVA makes no claims or warranties as to the products and services offered in the directory

    • ISVA may receive a portion of revenue generated by sales from links on resource page

  • Transparency: ISVA is transparent about how it makes money and what the money is spent on. ISVA is also transparent about the norms as outlined in this document and the audit trail of applying those norms (e.g. mention who has performed the peer review).