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EnriqueB

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  1. A new edition of "La Cocina al Vacío" from Joan Roca and Salvador Brugués has just been published. It is announced as a "reviewed" and "expanded" edition of a masterpiece. So I preordered it and received one of the first copies. It is a bilingual edition that alternates pages in Spanish and English. I am extremelly disappointed. It turns out that the only "expanded" content is about new 30 time/temperature profiles for foods that were not included in the previous editions (vegetables and seafood, mainly), and some new comments about using brines before vacuum-bag. Maybe some minor changes too, but most of the original content remains untouched. There are no new recipes. The original text, which left us readers with as many questions as answers, is mostly unchanged. The two most serious problems are, IMHO, that 1) there's no acknowledgement of all the publications and research that has taken place in the 11 years since it was first published. The bibliography has not been touched whatsoever, the newest reference corresponds to 2002. Nothing about Baldwin or Modernist Cusine contributions. And 2) the technical/scientific errors in the original piece remain. They claim that the reduced pressure in the bag allows cooking at reduced temperatures because water vapour is produced at a lower temperature (big error, the bag, once sealed, is subject to atmospheric pressure). They also claim that the cooking time may depend upon variables such as the volume or weight in "unprecise" ways that must be determined by trial and error (we now know that they depend mainly on type of food, shape and thickness, and that they can be quite precisely computed). Many aspects of the technique are not discussed, and some key foods like eggs are not even mentioned. I published a more detailed review (in Spanish) here.
  2. Haven't tried with burgers, but I've done blinded side-by-side test of several meats such as chicken breasts and pork cheeks that were salted before bagging vs non-salted and with times of > 2 or 3 hours the difference in texture is clearly noticeable. The salted before bagging (either directly or brined) had more of a "charcuterie" or "cured" texture, the non-salted a "fresher" one. The reason is, as you mention, is that salt extracts salt-soluble proteins like myosin and actin, that helps "stick" meat threads together when the meat is heated and they form a gel. Which is the base of charcuterie. I don't think this result has anything to do with sous-vide (vacuum) itself, it's just the fact that cooking times are longer with sous-vide and that allows time for some actomyosin extraction. The difference, at 1 to 1,5% salt levels, is subtle, I did not realize until I made the side-by-side tests. Is that bad? Not necessarily, depends on the result you're looking for. If I'm eating the meat hot I usually prefer salting at the end, but if I'm eating it cold (e.g. sandwiches, salads) it slices better when presalted.
  3. Spreading the heat is likely the problem. Gas "diffusers" are normally used here in Spain, like these ones. For the best paella the rice layer should be pretty thin, just a couple of rice grains or a bit more. That implies a big paella pan and a lot of evaporation (and flavour concentration). I say that because I normally use a ratio stock/bomba rice of 3.5, rather than the 2.4 you mention.
  4. - To infuse aromatics in the prawns - For operational reasons (e.g. to serve may guests at the same time) - Because you prefer "boiled-style" shrimps to seared ones (individual preference, to avoid potential carcinogenic compounds from the high heat, or whatever) - Because it cooks evenly, even the narrower tail, so it's evenly sweet and tender There's always a reason, I hate judging other people's reasons to cook one way or another. And yes, I do usually prefer seared prawns with the center just barely cooked, but have found many instances where I preferred cooking them sous-vide.
  5. I've verified that the texture and taste of shrimp changes noticeably when using temperatures above 50ºC. So I bag (often with some butter and aromatics), blanche about 10 seconds in boiling water to deal with surface contamination, then move to a 45-50ºC water bath for 15-20 minutes, depending on diameter. With a 55ºC bath I would reduce time to about 10-12 minutes.
  6. Did you reheat the second steak before searing? If not, and the pan times were similar, the different initial steak temperature in the pan may explain it. On the other hand, what was the sous-vide profile (time & temperature)?
  7. Hi dcarch, what do you use to clamp the rod to the bag? Any picture?
  8. By using a frozen tail you eliminate risk of parasites (inside). By blanching 1 or 2 minutes before cooking, as btbyrd suggests, you pasteurize the surface. So the only reason left to pasteurize to core is possible inner contamination by freeze-resistant pathogens like bacteria. In an intact tail, bacteria should only be in the surface. If you cook for a short time at a low (non-pasteurization) core temperature you may possibly have some risk, but it should be pretty low if you are following the two previous precautions.
  9. Interesting! Could you please give more details? What should be "separated" in your sentence "Wash the chopped fat in a combination of boiled and chilled wine and slightly warm water to separate it out before mixing it in to the meat."? What's the purpose of the warm water? Shouldn't the fat be used frozen or almost frozen?
  10. Yes, see http://sousvide.wikia.com/wiki/Give_Sous-vide_a_try_without_buying_expensive_equipment
  11. SVS racks are not that expensive and very useful, I bough a spare one (plus the one that came with my demi) and also their baking rack, and I always use them with my circulator and my eiPot.
  12. I've done this many times. Works well, no problem whatsoever.
  13. I`ve asked several makers, food safety is always claimed as the reason for not restarting: you may not be aware how long the power interruption lasted, and depending on tne temperature drop safety may be compromised. I do not like it neither. I want that the power outage is shown somehow in the unit (by lighting a led or something) and then be me who decides whether to throw away the food or not. And that's why I always use my SVS Demi for long cooking times, and reserve my SWID and eiPot for other dishes.
  14. SousVide Supreme does restart, remembers the target temperature, and continues cooking. I've read Anova has added it also as a configurable option. Other units I have or know about do not restart.
  15. Hi Prawncrackers. I don't know that specific brand, and there are as many chorizo recipes around here in Spain as towns and people producing it... Fresh chorizo here is normally a coarse-ground sausage, so I suggest don't use a fine but a coarse die. It's not even close to an emulsified sausage (such as mortadella), which, by the way, is a wrong name, as the mix is not an emulsion but a coloidal suspension (according to Modernist Cuisine). It is usually stuffed in hog casings rather than sheep casings. The usual ingredients do not include sugar but include wine and/or vinegar, about 40-50 grams per kg of meat+fat. In addition to pimentón, whose quality highly affects the result, and garlic, you may find black pepper, oregano, and fennel or cumin seeds. About color, it's true that homemade chorizo loses it much easier than commercial one, it also happens to me. Sure there's some extra colouring there. In fact, any commercial producer, even "artisan" butchers, will use premade mixes for chorizo (and any other sausage) that are likely to contain a bunch of phosphates, preservatives, and colourings. Lack of juiciness and wrong texture is hard to diagnostic, as it may have many origins. It may be a low proportion of fat (chorizo is usually quite fatty), production problems (stuffing with a grinder attachment, ingredients not cold enough, not enough mixing to achieve a good primary bind, etc) or even cooking to a too high temperature. Also, of course, is the lack of liquid in the formulation, try to add almost frozen red or dry white wine in the final part of the mixing stage. And don't forget that the commercial version is likely to include phosphates that allow the chorizo to absorb more liquid... Fresh chorizo is not cured. Cured versions take longer than 2 days. Chistorra is a different thing with a higher fat percentage, stuffed in sheep casings, and cured for a short period of around 2 days. Two good recipes (in Spanish) are Chorizo de rioja (cured) , and chistorra
  16. Sorry, same rules DO NOT apply. Critical here are spores of anaerobic bacteria. Some of them, like those from Clostridium Botulinum, are not killed by sous-vide pasteurization. Under vacuum and heat spores may germinate, and the new bacteria may produce deathly toxins. That does not happen with most other cooking methods, so we need additional safety measures here. And those measures consists precisely in cooling as fast as possible and limiting refrigeration time.
  17. My experience with two brands of foam tapes I have been able to buy here (Spain) are not very good, in both cases because they do not stick properly to the bag and may fall in the worse moment. So whenever I use it I double bag, double foam, and appy glue. That is, vacuum bag once, paste piece of foam, vacuum bag again (which sustains the first piece in place), apply glue on top of where the first foam is, and add a new piece of foam of the same size as the first one. I've been told that a workaround is applying a blob of silicone (the one applied with caulking guns), reinforce it with some waterproof tape, and wait until it hardens, but never tried.
  18. I will prepare main courses, my family is in charge of the rest. Common starters are iberian ham and "croquetas", and desserts are always store-bought "turrones" and "mantecados". Christmas eve dinner: Duck consommé with "manzanilla pasada" (a kind of sherry) and foie (cooked 10 min / 60ºC, frozen in pieces, then grilled straight from frozen) Sea bream with vegetables in "escabeche" (Spanish sauce made with 2 parts EVOO, 1 part vinegar usually sherry, 1 part wine usually sherry, and aromatics, boiled) Milk-fed lamb legs (sous-vide 24 h / 60ºC with garlic, thyme and rosemary, then grilled) and chops (w ith the same aromatics, roasted), lamb demi-glace, glazed pearl onions and carrots Christmas day lunch: "Cocido madrileño" (a local version of pot-au-feu) consommé Duck salad (magret and home-made confit) with passion fruit vinaigrette Poularde galantine. Stuffed with a farce of duck magret, heavy cream and orange peel, with pine nuts and pieces of cooked & smoked ham.
  19. The reason for higher temps on the surface first is so that you kill any bacteria that could likely grow while cooking. In your case, if there was any bacteria it would have most likely penetrated into the fish. Depending on the temp you cooked, dunking after would be pointless. However, if you were to quickly dunk in boiling water first, then cook at a low temp like 127F, then your chances of bacteria growing will be reduced. Do you have any support for these claims? Whereas I dunk first when I am not cooking from frozen, I don't see that much difference between both strategies. Yes, existing bacteria could grow during the cooking period, but not that much, as we are talking here about delicate items with fast cooking times, between 10 and 30 minutes. On the other hand, dunking after cooking should allow a shorter dunk time, as getting the surface to around 80ºC is much faster when the food surface is at 45ºC that when it is at 5ºC. The claim that bacteria would penetrate the fish is contrary to most safety documents I've read. Muscle interior is generally assumed to be sterile, except for parasites. That's why it's safe to eat meat that has been fast seared while keeping the interior at non-pasteurized temperatures.
  20. Very interesting question. My strategy for low temperature delicate items which I don't want to sear, like fish or seafood, is to fast freeze for parasites (or buy frozen) and vacuum seal. Then I cook from frozen (to 45-50ºC internal temperature) and dunk into boiling water for about 10-20 seconds. I don't dunk first because it is cooked from frozen. Dunking at the end should require less time as the surface is at a higher temperature, and also helps the portions not to feel so cold. I've done comparisons side-to-side between pieces dunked and not dunked and the difference is hardly noticeable. But I don't have a rigorous support of the safety of this strategy.
  21. Good to know, thanks. The VAT question I asked them a few weeks ago by email but have received no answer.
  22. dcarch, many thanks for the clarifications. Porcini carpaccio with pistachios, cayenne, grated black truffle and yuzu vinaigrette Porcini with 63,5ºC truffled egg Salad with 63,5ºC egg and white truffle
  23. This time italian instead of spanish (paella) rices. I had edible flowers and black truffle, which made for nice presentation and aroma. Pigeon risotto Pork & ham risotto with suckling pig ears (confited & deep fried)
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