Simon Lewinson

I add finely chopped coriander stems (cilantro for others), lemongrass and some sweet Chilli sauce to the mix. Agree with adding the kafir lime leaves and dropping the lime zest as it will overpower the other flavours. Simon

Yep. Durian, king stinker of the fruits!

Thanks for the tips Simon. I'm a perfectionist, so at 171F 12 hours MOST of the meat is meltingly tender. What I'm talking about is the meat at the bottom part. Usually there is 3 or 4 layers of meat, and I'm talking about the very bottom layer that is dark colored. That's the part that is dry and stringy. Have you had issues with this bottom part? Sorry but I have never encountered this sous vide. Is it some of the rib membrane left attached? I always trim mine to remove it. Simon

Hi Simon,I would love to see your Vietnamese pork belly recipe! Could you write the recipe or send me a link? Thanks! Here it is. http://forums.egullet.org/topic/136275-sous-vide-recipes-techniques-equipment-part-8/?p=1916696 Enjoy.. Simon

Vietnamese caramel pork belly for me. Fantastic combination of sweet, bitter, fragrant and rich porky goodness. I posted a sous vide recipe but there are plenty on the internet. Simon

I always use 10 hours at 80C and it turns out so tender that it is almost impossible to slice without shredding it. After pressing and chilling it slices better but still borders on falling apart. I generally cook it marinated, the favourite being Vietnamese caramel. Simon

I am in a similar situation and have found that sous vide has been the salvation for proteins. My standards are sous vide chicken beast (60C for 90-120 mins) or thigh (65C for 120 mins), marinated sirloin (54.5C for 24 hours) and pork belly (80C for 10 hours) PM me for more info if you like Simon

My standard after the Xmas rush is to make a ham and mushroom risotto. Ham bone, skin and off cuts for a killer stock, fresh herbs from the garden and loads of butter and Parmesan at the end. Don't forget a good handful of dried porcini mushrooms and loads of garlic confit. This started from ham leftovers and now is a tradition that the family loves. Simon

A more economical but fantastic option is the Red Chilli Szechuan in Chinatown. Their smoked Szechuan pork belly is to die for and the rest of the menu ranges from mild to wild in the Chilli stakes. Simon

Being a cynic, I will reply with how I have always cut sandwiches. With a knife. Simon

Interesting coincidence today - my 14 year old daughter came home from school with a log of what looked like over risen bead dough and told me that it was naan bread. I heated up the BBQ to the atomic setting and after rolling out the dough paper thin I cooked it on the plate, closing the lid as quickly as possible. The result was fantastic with crunchy, charred bits and a wonderful flavour. The dough recipe was 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1.5 cups warm water, 2 teaspoons dried yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar. Prove the yeast for about 20 minutes with the sugar and water till frothy, mix in the other ingredients and leave to rise for 2-3 hours.

Exactly! I store any extra pizza in my 17 year old son's stomach shortly after it is cooked. Simon

I was thinking along the line of fatty, salty and crispy meat. Chorizo rounds or some type of crispy jamon, prosciutto etc. Porky, spicy goodness.

Glycerin was my first thought too. simon

Chris, I have down a variation on this recipe and left the wings in the fridge for about 10 days without an issue. I must add that I have a chamber sealer. I have personally never had an issue with LTLT sous vide cooked meats if stored in a good fridge for up to 2 weeks. YMMV. Simon

+1 for the miele dishwashers and washing machines. I have not yet found anything in the kitchen that I cannot fit into it, even my 20 liter stockpot. The cutlery tray is fantastic too. If pushed, I can put all of an 8 place setting and most of the serving dishes into it after a dinner party. After having it for thirteen years I still open it when it is running because it is so quiet. Another great feature is that the filter almost cleans itself - I check it annually. Simon

Downunder and out in the sticks, we have a butcher that sells locally raised wagyu beef. His ground beef, made into burgers, is to die for! It has the flavour that I remember from my youth (way too many years ago) and is beefy beyond anything else I have tasted.Simon

That is the generic name for our chooks. They are the "peckerheads" Simon

My daughter raised chickens at school some years ago. One of the class favorites was called Count Crapula, and when she brought three home I wanted to name them Satay (the brown one), hainan (the white one) and Bakar (the black one) after my favorite Malaysian chicken dishes. We currently have three others with more conventional names - Henny, Penny and Mudslide (white chicken with brown breast feathers) Simon

Dinner today was porcini fettucini with duck confit and pea ragu. The duck confit was from my first attempt a couple of weeks ago and was a bit salty. Pairing it with the baby peas added some sweetness to offset some of the saltiness. The porcini fetuccini was made with 20% of the flour replaced with ground dried porcini . I still need to work on my plating skills.

Another thought is it slice up finely then marinate to rehydrate and stir fry. Simon

Sous vide with vanilla is awesome. Looks brilliant and tastes even better. Simon

Nick, thanks for the comments. Just tried a couple of turkey legs over the weekend as they are $5 per kilogram. Brined them for about 3-4 hours then washed, bagged with duck fat from last confit and cooked sous vide at 79 degrees C for 10 hours. Had them last night as a ragu with thinly sliced sauteed carrots on fettucini and it was fantastic. Not too salty but fantastic flavour. Having the leftovers for lunch today at work Thanks for the input and I will be confiting more and more depending on the availability of duck parts. Simon

In the past, I have used this "crust" from some dry aged venison as jerky and also chopped it finely for use in ragu. The flavour is too good to waste and, in my view, no risk. You eat the rest of the piece, and the only difference is appearance and water content. Simon

Keith, thanks. I think 1 hour would not be long enough. Next batch I may try a few different times to optimise the curing. The flavours of thyme, garlic, juniper and bay were fantastic and I thought about dropping the quantity of salt and upping the herbs along with a three hour cure. Simon