Sous Vide Help?
plllog
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
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dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
9 years agoplllog
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Sous vide tips
Comments (1)Jennifer, very good information/tips. Thanks for sharing. Very different cooking physics and chemistry take place inside a sous vide cooker. Many normal ways of cooking food does not apply. The use of seasonings like what you said about garlic is important to know. The way I use garlic in sous vide is simple. I fry garlic paste in oil or butter first before I use it for sous vide. Mostly all seasonings in the sous vide method give more intense flavor, rosemary for instance, infuses the scent deep into the meat. dcarch...See MoreProps to Anova, and, any sous vide tips?
Comments (8)Ann - I haven't experimented a ton, honestly, but what I have found is we're happier with a steak that has been cooked for an hour versus one that's sat for a couple hours or more. The notion of "can't overcook" holds true for temperature only, not texture, hence my sticking to minimal cooking times now. IMO and IME of course. From the results in my own kitchen, we'd prefer say a thick strip steak perfectly cooked with conventional methods than sous vide, but for us "perfectly cooked" means primarily medium rare throughout, and that can be slightly tricky to perfect. If we preferred a rare center like you do, I wouldn't bother with SV. My favorite application is probably thick cut pork chops. With pork I'm not interested in a temperature gradient, I want the center cooked and the outer sections not dried out. Pretty foolproof with SV, and I've not experienced the textural issues I have with beef. Another success has been lobster. While I find the low temps often recommended off-putting, using the high end I can thoroughly cook the meat without risking the outer parts getting overcooked. Of course these are obstacles that a decent cook can overcome, SV just makes it brainless once you nail down your preferred time and temp. As of yet I've not found anything that I prefer specifically because it was cooked sous vide, just things that are easier not to mess up using it....See MoreSous Vide Cont’d: A Newbie’s Experiences; Please share Tips & Recipes!
Comments (129)Since there seems to be some renewed interest by those who’ve yet to try sous vide, thought I’d add a few comments/observations… For me, the most wonderful thing about sous vide is the ability to take a cheap cut of meat and make it tender and tasty – and cook it to perfect mid-rare (our preference). Whether it’s Select steaks on sale for DH and I to enjoy and feel as if we’re dining on quality steak on a weeknight, or finding some cut at the grocery which I’ve no idea what it is and SV’ing, then slicing for a fantastic lunch meat or a quick dinner sandwich… it’s amazing what the SV can do with cheap cuts… Second most wonderful thing for me: Bulk SV’ing (thanks to Sleevendog). I SV and freeze several pork chops to thaw, reheat in the SV, sear and serve; chicken to make salads and sandwiches. And DH’s favorite weeknight meal: Several cheap steaks in bags of 2, mass SV’d to desired doneness. Drop in ice bath, label, then freeze. I only need to remove a couple from the freezer, pop in the SV at one degree under the temp initially cooked, it thaws and reheats in about 45 minutes, and meanwhile I whip up a quick sauce, some veggies, and finish by searing off which also helps to heat the steaks. Makes for an easy weeknight meal. Below is a Select New York Strip, little to no marbling (uber-cheap cut), with a (too thick) peppercorn sauce. It was quite good! And my embarrassing confession: I can prepare fish and seafood… but for some reason I can’t consistently make it come out perfectly cooked. Sometimes my shrimp or scallops are a wee bit on the too done side. Same with salmon (as mentioned above). Sure, should be easy for many, but for me? Eh. So SV to the rescue. I made this scallop dish last summer and while the scallops were in the SV for their 30 minutes I fried up baby kale, baked my maple glazed bacon, sliced the tomatoes and avocados, and made a sauce for BLT Scallops. Seared off the scallops for 15 seconds, sliced in half, assembled, and they were perfection. To those who scoff and say they can sear a scallop in moments, I say great for you, but I can’t and know beyond any doubt they won’t be under cooked or overcooked. With SV I can : ) fillmoe, and anyone else interested, have fun and enjoy!...See Morevacuum sealer to use with Sous Vide?
Comments (15)Air displacement is to keep the food submerged. The reason many of use foodSaver sealing methods straight from the butcher or farm is to SV multiple packages for that nights meal but to freeze the others for later meals. Or to FoodSaver raw butchered or hunted/fished for later frozen meals that can be SV'd later. A sealed, air/oxygen removed package, will have a much longer freezer life. I don't bother with FoodSaver for a one-off preparation. Water displacement/ immersion is fine. September/October month we often have 30 lbs of moose from a neighbors hunt and our cod fishing, 50-80 lbs...that needs good sealing for best freezer storage. In packages for a 2-4 person meal. Labeling is key. Take two 4 person out for 8. Take a 4 person out for a second day taco night. I just took out a SV cooked short rib for tacos for tomorrow night. It will thaw and I'll toss it in the oven for a quick roasting. 20 minutes with a miso/kimchi glaze....while prepping the avocado/ salads/fresh whatever I find in the crisper drawer......See Moreplllog
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