Topic: Sous vide lamb tikka and chewy base

[curryhell]

Hi CH,

The cooker was in the house when I bought it about 4 years ago. It's a domestic Italian Smeg (!) 90 cm range cooker. It does have six rings which is handy as I like to use the front 3 rings together.
It would have cost about

[PaulP]

Hi CH,

The hottest burner on that cooker is only about 3.25 Kw and that is the wok ring. It's a case of more show than go I think!

Sous vide chicken tikka on the go now, I'll post up the results and photos soon. The theory for the chicken is that at 60 degrees it cooks through and turns white but is no way overcooked. Then I'll skewer the chicken and finish off for 5-10 minutes in a very hot oven. This should be very juicy but it won't be ready to skewer until about 10 pm tonight.

Cheers,

Paul

[curryhell]

Hi CH,

The hottest burner on that cooker is only about 3.25 Kw and that is the wok ring. It's a case of more show than go I think!

A lovely turn of phrase Paul  ;D ;D

Sous vide chicken tikka on the go now, I'll post up the results and photos soon. The theory for the chicken is that at 60 degrees it cooks through and turns white but is no way overcooked. Then I'll skewer the chicken and finish off for 5-10 minutes in a very hot oven. This should be very juicy but it won't be ready to skewer until about 10 pm tonight.

Not exactly "curry in a hurry" this sous vide cooking method is it Paul?  Nevertheless, look forward to hearing the results   

[Malc.]

Hi Paul,

A very interesting post, especially as I am currently looking into the various commercial cooking techniques used in modern fine dining cuisine. Seeing some of the gadgets used on the Great British Menu was an insight to the lengths that chefs will go to create great tasting food!

I picked up a tip from one of the 'TV' chefs that explained that you don't need to actually use a vacuum bag to cook Sous Vide at home, but rather simply wrap the meat tightly in cling film and use a thermometer in a large saucepan of water. Typically, most videos and pic'as i've seen of this show the meat rolled up in cling film and looking look like fat sausages. But in all these cases a commercial water bath was used. I don't think I would have the patience to stand over a saucepan to ensure the temperature remains constant!

As I understand it, vacuum bags are used when kitchens want to precook before chilling and storing until the meat is required and then reheated. This would be of benefit where you are further cooking the meat in the oven to brown it.


Could you not remove the fresh meat from the marinade before sealing in the vacuum bag? This would surely get the most out of the vacuum cooking technique. Food for thought.


Look forward to hearing more on your Sous Vide cooking.

[PaulP]

Hi Malc,

Personally I wouldn't like to try to use cling film as there are potential risks with some plastic chemicals leaching into the meat. You can use ziplok bags though, without a vacuum sealer.
I'm only really scratching the surface and will be trying more tikka/tandoori dishes using home made marinades rather than the Mr Huda paste I used as a test. Lots of existing sous vide recipes use powdered rather than fresh garlic because apparently fresh garlic can taste really bad after being in a plastic bag at about 60 degrees for a couple of hours. I need to find this out for myself and learn what needs to be adjusted.

Steak for me tonight but not sous vide, I'll just cook it in a pan. 

Cheers,

Paul

[h4ppy-chris]

i had a play with the sous vide about 2 years ago not hard to do on the stove top.

here's my shit video

boil in the bag how to.mp4

a tip for the vac sealer set it going once the air is out HIT stop then hit seal only.

this video i made may be of interest.

vacuum sealer how to use normal freezer bags

[Curry Barking Mad]

That is great Chris,
I was always put off those 'quality' sealers that required you to buy the expensive bags, looks like a good work around.
What make of sealer is that and the cost please?
Cheers,
Mick

[h4ppy-chris]

That is great Chris,
I was always put off those 'quality' sealers that required you to buy the expensive bags, looks like a good work around.
What make of sealer is that and the cost please?
Cheers,
Mick

Andrew James Mick i love mine.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Food-Kitchen-Vacuum-Sealer-Packing-Bag-Machine-/260833634592?pt=UK_HomeGarden_Kitchen_FoodStorage_GL&hash=item3cbae56920#ht_5409wt_962

[Curry Barking Mad]

That is great Chris,
I was always put off those 'quality' sealers that required you to buy the expensive bags, looks like a good work around.
What make of sealer is that and the cost please?
Cheers,
Mick

Andrew James Mick i love mine.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Food-Kitchen-Vacuum-Sealer-Packing-Bag-Machine-/260833634592?pt=UK_HomeGarden_Kitchen_FoodStorage_GL&hash=item3cbae56920#ht_5409wt_962

Thanks Chris,
Am I correct to assume the little bit of the blue bag seal that you insert gets melted into the final seal?
Mick

[Razor]

Hi Chris, interesting videos and an interesting subject in all. 

Now, I must confess, even though you insisted that we shouldn't, I couldn't keep my eye's off the pie at the back

Ray