benjamin163

thanks Mgaretz, I've started vacuuming to 80% instead of 95% and filling the bags up less. Seems to do the trick.

thanks for this Jo, I'll take a good look.

Hello, I'm really struggling with a couple of issues with my ice cream. First thing is the mixture that makes a custard. I can't vacuum seal it without making a hell of a mess. Milk, sugar, egg yolk, cream, vanilla pod, all blended up. But when I vacuum seal, it gets to 50% and then starts frothing and by 60% it's frothing out of the bag which is less than a third full. So that's my first question. How do I vacuum seal this mixture without making a mess. Second question is around the usage of trimolene. I bought a job lot but can't find recipes which use it. So I have no idea how much to use. Do I simply substitute the sugar for trimolene? Do I use the normal amount of sugar then add a small amount of trimolene? Do I add the trimolene when I blend up the mixture. Any help on these issues gratefully received.

There are some great answers and tips here, thank you so much, and keep em coming!

I do have a costco nearby. What brand was it that you found good?

I recently bought a 10K bag of basmati rice because it was cheap but, for the first time really, I'm coming to appreciate the difference between cheap and quality basmati rice. The one I've bought is fine but it breaks up very quickly when cooked and becomes a bit of a mush. It led me to wonder what to look for in a good basmati. There are so many brands out there. I've done a little research and Tilda seems to be the standard go to quality rice. But I'm also reading about extra matured rice which interests me and a lot of other quality brands out there. Does anyone on here have a go to basmati rice brand and does anyone here use extra mature basmati and feel there is a discernable difference? Any help or suggestions gratefully received.

Hello, I am doing a lot of slow cooking, sometimes sous vide, sometimes in a crock pot, sometimes on a stove top. I find the stuff I cook sous vide most convenient as it has such a good shelf life if the correct procedures are adhered to. My question is this... Can I enjoy the shelf life benefits sous vide pouches offer by simply bagging up leftover food not cooked sous vide and sticking it in a water bath, correct times and temperatures observed, to reheat then chill. eg could I cook a chicken thigh curry in a crock pot then portion up what I don't eat, bag each portion separately, stick in a water bath for an hour at 70 degrees celsius, blast chill then be able to store refrigerated for the extended times the dish cooked sous vide would allow? And would the same principles apply to vegetable dishes? Any help gratefully received.

I thank everyone for their replies. All of them were very helpful, informative and interesting. It's what makes this forum so great. Thank you all.

I know it's probably not best practice but I'd be interested to know if there's any scientific reason why it would be dangerous to eat food from a pasteurised pouch that had been frozen and thawed more than once?

I am experimenting with cous cous, rice and mash potato. I don't sous vide these dishes. I find that pointless. However, I am bagging the finished product and vacuum sealing so I can keep them and reheat quickly in the m**rowave (don't hate me!) My question is this... Should I be placing these bags in a water bath to pasteurise them for a longer life before storing them in the fridge or freezer? I'm wondering how long I can keep bagged rice in the fridge under vacuum unpasteurised as opposed to pasteurised. If I was to pasteurise, do I use the same guidelines as for meat? ie is it still about the thickness of the package and the temperature of the water? Or is this all a totally unnecessary faff? Any thoughts on this gratefully received.

Top instructions Kenneth. It's taken me 2 years to get there!

Thanks for all these answers. Very helpful. What I've learned is that as soon as I un-bag, the food is no longer pastuerised, so I guess I just have to re-bag which is a faff but if that's the way it is, that's the way it is. Steve, I tried individual portions but they don't turn out great straight from the bag. It's hard to crisp up the skin and there's enough gelatin to put people off. I'm trying to get it so that people can just cut the bag open, flash it under the grill to get some crispiness and that's it.

I'd like to be rid of the excess liquid in the bag. And I want to press the belly which is easier to do as a whole I think. In short, I want to end up with a bag that is a close to the finished product as possible.

Hello, I am cooking a whole pork belly sous vide. I want to portion it up after cooking and place each portion back in a separate vacuum pack afterwards for safe storage. My question is, should I do the portioning up as soon as I take the pork belly out of the water bath while still hot? Or should I blast chill the whole belly first, still in the bag, then portion up and re-bag? I'm wondering which process will be safer. On the one hand portioning up the belly while it's still hot and then blast chilling the separate bags seems like a good idea. On the other hand blast chilling the whole thing first so it gets to a safe temp, then portioning up also seems like a good idea. I'm also wondering what the act of taking the belly out of its original bag does to the extended life of the belly. I understand that without taking it out of the bag, chilled rapidly I can keep the belly at 5 degrees for roughly a week. Does anyone know how that figure changes if I try either of the two procedures above? Any help gratefully received

Thanks so much for the answers. I think the combination of the fact that the pate was sealed with butter and also sealed in a kilner jar, the amount of butter in the recipe (over 1/3) the alcohol and capers all seem to have helped preserve this. My friend scoffed both the pate and at the notion that my worry was valid. She said it was absolutely delicious. Personally I think she just got lucky and I will make sure I give her a consume by date of 2 weeks next time even though this one is 6 months later.

thanks for the welcome btw. Is there a specific section for complicated sous vide questions?

I only gave her a jarful but she only started eating it last week! I'm not sure there's much acid or salt in. Just from the capers really. I'm guessing there's so much butter in it that it preserved the whole thing but I'm still shocked.

I have just been told by a friend I made some pate for at christmas that she's still enjoying it today, 5 months later. This shocked and worried me and I told her to throw it away immediately. She told me to stop being ridiculous and that it was delicious. I'm astounded. The recipe contains chicken livers and butter about 2/3 to 1/3. And there are a few other ingredients like capers, mustard, creme fraishe, garlic, brandy and thyme. I pour the mixture into a kilner jar and top with clarified butter to seal. I would never want to have that for more than 2 weeks. I have absolutely no idea how the pate has stopped from going rancid and I am positive it must be dangerous to eat now but she is eating it and telling me how delicious it is! Can anyone help?