Topic: Sous vide or not sous vide? That is the question

[Sverige]

As some of you know I've been experimenting with sous vide cookery lately, and when discussing it with  Gav Iscon recently I was able to assure him I was close to being able to collate my results into a single post. So here it is! 

As you probably know, the sous vide method calls for prolonged cooking at low temperatures in a water bath, with a final sear to brown the outside of the food. The main advantages are allowing for tender results without overcooking the centre of the food.  As I have discovered though, a long cook in a water bath can make food a little soggy, so be sure to learn from my experience and don't spare the horses when applying that final heat - I certainly didn't!

Starting with my all time favourite, pizza, I was interested to see what benefits tenderising the dough with a long cook might bring.  I actually bought a premade pizza which came in a plastic baggie so as to avoid the problems associated in wrapping a home made pizza base, but next time I will be more adventurous and make my own.  6 hours at 60C ought to do it.  I think it did it... As you can see from the pic below it came out very tender.  Well, it came out eventually, with some scraping of the oven floor...

I then continued my intrepid research, to see what benefits sous vide might bring to BIR cooking.  So first naan, then samosas and finally onion bhajis received the benefits of a six hour water bath cook, followed by a 400C grill (don't spare the horses!!)

I can confirm, as I believe the photos prove, that some truly remarkable results are within reach with this method. I can't actually confirm how any of it tasted as I was too exhausted and frankly a little bit too scared to eat any, plus I had to nip out to work a night shift to pay off the staggering electricity bill I'd just run up.

Nevertheless, if you ask me sous vide is the future - I imagine all BIRs will be cooking their base sous vide quite soon, when the massive benefits are fully appreciated.  Sous vide preparation of the final curry dish would offer the restauranteur distinct advantages, as the patrons would have many hours in which to order and consume drinks. 

Well I hope you appreciate this post and of course your suggestions for my next sous vide experiments are welcome! I do believe the quality of my results speak for themselves and trust they will add to your Friday ;P

[Peripatetic Phil]

Good lord, a Swede with a sense of humour -- I had always thought that they were as rare as the fabulous tomte !

[loveitspicy]

Ha ha ha ha awesome mate - absolutely love it

I wonder if you had cooked it in the bag in the oven the plastic might have held it together

ha ha ha ha made my night - thanks for that great post

best, Rich

[Graeme]

 

[Sverige]

Hehe, well I do recommend people have a go at sous vide some time, but not for BIR and not on April 1st 

For making tough cuts of meat tender while avoiding over cooking, it's perfect. For pizzas, onion bhajis, etc.. not so much

PS expensive water baths and vacuum sealers are not required to dabble with sous vide. A zip lock or even an open topped plastic food bag can be used (the water displaces the air as the bag is lowered into the water) and a big insulated picnic cooler box (what the americans call a beer cooler) can be used if the water starts at the right temperature and is topped up maybe once an hour with warmer water to maintain the temp. You might already have everything you need to sous vide, right in your house. Details here
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/04/cook-your-meat-in-a-beer-cooler-the-worlds-best-sous-vide-hack.html

[Gav Iscon]

I'm still not convinced. Bought some cheap steaks (ribeyes and sirloins) to try and 'sous vided' them medium then flashed over my charcoal chimney starter which was going like a furnace. The problem for me is that they become like fillet and the knife just falls through them. I like a 'bit chew' in the cheaper steaks and it wasn't there. Next stop is a thick rump to try.

Heres a home made circulator being the next step up from a temperature controlled slow cooker. The bloke that came up with this went on to manufacture the Sansaire circulator ones.

http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2010/02/diy-sous-vide-heating-immersion-circulator-for-about-75/