There's One Fast Food Chain That Actually Sous Vides Its Beef

The last place you'd expect to find sous vide cooking is at a fast food restaurant, but Chipotle has been using this gourmet technique

to cook its beef since 2016.

The chain's steak and beef barbacoa are cooked sous vide at a central off-site location before being transported to restaurants. Once delivered, the beef is marinated and grilled.

Chipotle's switch to sous vide came after the chain suffered from an E. coli outbreak, as the method is valued for its ability to mitigate the growth of harmful bacteria.

Chipotle primarily uses shoulder and round steak cuts cooked at a low temperature for a long time using the sous vide method, which helps lock in all the meat's natural juices.