joesan

Thanks jbehmoras - good catch!

Hard to say on the Food grade front but you might take some solace from the fact that fish in aquariums are normally pretty small and highly sensitive to chemicals in minute doses that wouldn't affect us at all. So you're probably safe enough. Also don't forget that your food items are nearly always inside a protective plastic pouch (for the sous vide) and that many people on this forum have been using aquarium bubblers to no (apparent) ill effect.

Lordbre - nice looking dishes. Both meats look great (the white asparagus looks absolutely delicious as well). The first water bath looks like something from the 1970's!

Interesting post about the genesis of the Sous Vide Supreme. Basically what me, you and just about everyone else on this thread considered - Sous Vide is such a great idea why not make an easy to use all in one unit for the home market - except that he did it . Looks pretty good for the money. Accurate to half a degree but not much technical info e.g. on bath size etc.

Found this from the maestro Mr Blumenthal and I thought I'd share it - "At the Fat Duck we've just started using a brilliant gadget to make stocks. It's not exactly cutting-edge - it's the humble pressure cooker - but it makes stock better and quicker than any other method I know of. Now, this may seem obvious, but when you smell those wonderful odours while you're cooking, it's a sign that you're losing flavours through those volatile elements that disappear in the air. A pressure cooker, however, keeps the aromas and flavour molecules sealed in the pot. Also, it cooks at a higher temperature than conventional methods - as high as 140°C, which is round about the point when those lovely meaty flavours in the stock really begin to develop. In a normal stockpot, by contrast, water evaporates at boiling point, taking flavour with it. A final advantage is that the pressure keeps the liquid inside the cooker much less turbulent, which helps to keep the stock that much clearer even before you clarify it (unlike the traditional method, which renders all sorts of impurities). So, sweat some chopped onion and star anise (this really brings out the meaty flavours) in a little oil, add the stock bones or meat, along with water (or stock), clamp on the lid of your pressure cooker, and set over the heat. And, after 30 minutes' cooking and 10 minutes' cooling down time, you will have the best, truest tasting stock you've ever made." Seems pretty conclusive that he likes the results and an interesting observation that the final liquid is less cloudy than in other methods which would bear out what others here have to say. The more I think about it the more I'm convinced that there's probably no need to skim at the start of the process but I'll need to wait until I get a Pressure Cooker to prove it. Unless anyone else wants to try an A vs B comparison in the meantime? Pressures on... (bad pun I know) BTW I've tried the Star Anise trick in making stock and whilst there is an increase in flavour to me it tastes a bit too much of star anise.

Thanks Ken - some great ideas there. Do you find that you can get away with not skimming all the 'scum' from the top of the liquid in the initial stages? I've always been a bit skeptical about the need for all the skimming that people do with a stock at the start because I am not convinced that there is anything wrong with it or that it prejudices flavour in any way; after all it comes from the meat itself. I think it just looks off-putting because of the colour and texture etc. but wonder whether you can't just remove it at the end of the cooking session. This might be all the more so with pressure cooking as by all accounts one gets a clearer stock anyway.

Thanks Nick - I sometimes do roast the bones themselves to get the deepening effect. Hadn't thought of trying the carrots so I must give that a go. I'm not sure if you are correct about no Maillard reaction without frying or roasting because Maillard reactions can occur in pressure cooking e.g. in the case of making dulce de leche as mentioned above. Also isn't it the case that pressure cookers heat the liquid beyond the normal boiling temperature?

Saltedgreens - The Kuhn Rikon cookers nearly always do well in reviews, and friends of mine have also recommended them to me. RLumis - Thanks for the heads up on the beef recipe. Filed for future reference. KenT it's interesting that you say you are not looking for a richly flavoured stock. I can understand that if you want to use the stock more as a carrier for other flavours in sauces etc. I am looking to make a rich dark stock. I'm thinking that this will be a matter of getting some maillard on the chicken bones or onions before I seal the pressure cooker. I wasn't sure if the Maillard reaction does occur in the pressure cooker itself - I guess it does because people like Shola over in StudioKitchen are making "Dulce De Leche" in the cooker from ingredients like Miso. Regardless I pretty much have a feeling that this is the way to go as it seems to have a number of benefits. It's faster and cleaner yes but also I have to think you'd get a more flavourful stock because those delicious volatile flavour components that you can usually smell in the kitchen when cooking stock are trapped in the stock and the pressure cooker itself. And as we all now know if you can smell the aroma in the kitchen it won't be in the stock itself (hat-tip to Mr McGee)...

Thanks guys. That's very useful detail. I don't yet have a pressure Cooker but am contemplating getting one as I see a resurgence in people using them with modern techniques. I had read that the stock produced as indeed clearer. Does everyone think that the flavour is deeper in the pressure cooked method? I read that some feel that the flavours are "brighter", probably because the cooking time is so much shorter.

Thanks Special K - interestingly most people there are pretty negative about Pressure Cooked Stocks (but 2001 was a more innocent time!) ... Given that great, scientifically rigorous chefs such as Heston B are using the Pressure Cooked Stock method I've got to believe that there is some merit to the practice in terms of taste and quality, and not just speed. I've seen Heston make reference to using the Pressure cooking method for stocks but I can't find good detailed recipes. I'd like to find a few recipes to get a broad idea of the technique.

The more I read about it the more I'm convinced that making stock (Chicken, Veal etc.) in a pressure cooker is the way to go. Benefits seem to be better flavour, more clarity, and a much reduced cooking time. Unfortunately I can't seem to find any actual recipe. Anybody have some? Preferably by professional chefs but the more the merrier really...

Me too will definitely be buying. They are tremendously inventive and full of creativity. Compared to others like Michael Laiskonis (who is astoundingly generous with his recipes and techniques on his blog) they don't seem to give away much on their blog as regards in depth details. I guess that's understandable though if they're planning on selling a cookbook. I'm really looking forward to reading some of their techniques and recipes in depth. While some of their blog entries can be a little, how can I put it, florid the actual recipes that are on the site are very well written and clear. Should be a great read.

I whole-heartedly agree with this. It just makes so much sense. Also, selfishly, it would make cookbooks so much more usable than they are presently since we would not need the dual measurements (volume and grams) that makes many otherwise clear recipe books so confusing. Anyone doubting this just has to look how clear the Alinea or El Bulli recipes are with their absolute reliance on weights in metric rather than arcane cups. Or try a bread or pastry recipe made with the right weight of flour versus some arbitrary amount of flour or fat in a cup or spoon measure to see the difference accuracy can make. It always amuses me to see chefs who will go to the most absolute precision of 0.1c or 1F to quote some wildly inprecise volumetric measurement. I made a similar comment on Shola's Studio Kitchen blog last week because I was surprised to see such an avant garde chef who embracse all the precision of the most modern equipemtnt use the measurement method of the last century!

I agree - it's totally worth one's while to grind one's own spices. Also don't forget that toasting them lightly (either in a pan or even in the microwave) prior to grinding significantly improves the flavours and aromas. Re:Cleaning, I was thinking about this the other day as I was preparing to grind some cinnamon for banana bread, I've decided that all I need to do is wipe the Coffee grinder bowl as best I can with a kitchen towel. Any trace elements of other leftover spices just add a little "je ne sais quoi" to the item. Many, many of the spices work well together and certainly don't detract from the main flavour in small trace amounts. Anyway that's my thinking to free myself from the tyranny of endless spice grinder cleaning!...

Erin - looks lovely. I plan on making this at the weekend. Can't wait to see what others come up with too. I like a nice slaw in a sandwich with some sliced ham... Chris - can you elaborate on the salting method. I made some basic slaw the other day and I made a mental note to myself that in future I'd need to find some way of stopping the mix becoming too watery. Presumably your technique accomplishes this?

I agree - but don't let an Italian hear you say that one of their recipes (caponata) is a good way to disguise over the hill vegetables. To their mind if you're using over the hill vegetables you've failed before you've started cooking. But ratatouille is French and they won't mind about the quality of the vegetables so you're safe there...

Grill them over charcoal, or in a super hot oven if a charcoal grill is not available, until the skins are blackened all over, for about 20 minutes in all. It is important to burn them until they are black so that the flesh inside tastes smoky. Mash the flesh lightly with some cumin powder, small amount of chopped garlic and a squeeze of lemon. Add salt and pepper. If you'd like it a little more creamy add a small amount of natural yoghurt but this is not necessary in my opinion. This is a wonderful topping for some bruschetta or use as an accompaniment for meat or fish.

Asiago is fairly similar, or you could use fontina at a push. Both are fairly widely available.

Susan - I was able to access the page I gave you without a subscription...

The Boulud recipe is here - http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Archives...75,6635,00.html

Been there many times. Like it. Bring lots of money! Try the bar downstairs too - very atmospheric...

Congratulations Bella - I'm glad it worked out so well for you. I think it's a terrific recipe. Hope you're going to post your chorizo recipe!

Hi Bella - I was also going to recommend the Zuni cookbook recipe. It is truly excellent and produces very nice pan juices also. It's not strictly speaking 100% authentic, after all if it was you'd be using a whole baby pig and not a pork shoulder, but it is a very good approximation of what you'd find in Italy. Don't worry about the capers - use some of the salted ones, not the ones in brine or vinegar, and I think you'll find them very tasty. The only thing I left out when I made it last week were the sage leaves. I use extra rosemary because to my palate that gives a balance more like you would have in Italy. I didn't cook vegetables in with the pork because it feels more authentic to me to have it with just some herb roasted potatoes and a salad later. Also the pan juices are so good with this that I didn't want them all to be absorbed by the vegetables. As regards the cooking time when I've cooked a joint of 3-4lbs to the full time given on the recipe it felt a little too dry so I normally cook it half an hour less. It's a pretty forgiving recipe though. I think for such a large piece such as you have I would cut it into two pieces and cook for just about the time given in the original recipe or maybe half an hour more. The absolute best would be to use a meat thermometer if you have one and cook to the correct internal temperature. Also do try to stuff and roll it ahead of time to let the stuffing flavour develop into the meat. By the way it can sit for quite a while so you could make it earlier in the day to ensure that you have enough cooking time and just hold it under foil in a warm atmosphere. It also is very nice cold, try it in a salad with cold apple puree. Delicious!

Bob - thanks for your thorough reply. It's very helpful. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't bother with a 0.1C temperature difference in just about anything but with SV, especially long duration SV, it does seem to make an appreciable difference e.g. to get meat just a point. Will be interesting to see what Frank says regarding the small difference in displayed versus actual temperature.

I guess all the parameters matter to a degree (no pun intended). Robert I took no offence at all, these forums are for learning and discussion, it's just that the actual point that I was making was that one should take care to avoid confusing a high resolution display of the temperature with it's actual empirical accuracy. But now I'm confused again because of SVM recommendation of the 1500C. You've used them all, Robert, - which do you recommend as best able to accurately maintain 54.4C over 8 hours say?