Sous Vide: Recipes, Techniques & Equipment, 2012

[ScottyBoy]

I vacuum with salt and butter I feel it really enhances the flavor of yukons and banana fingerlings (my favorite waxies).

Rotuts - That's actually the preparation for my dinners. The final savory dish I just warm the protein and potato up at the same time and sear each in separate pans. Always works like a charm.

[OliverB]

a great way to make Creme Freche in your SV, seems very easy and certainly economical, I'll have to try this soon!

Creme Freche SV

[Anna N]

a great way to make Creme Freche in your SV, seems very easy and certainly economical, I'll have to try this soon!

Creme Freche SV

Seems it DOES work with ultrapasteurized cream which is about all I can get easily. That was the reason I was put off when I first saw that recipe. Must give it a try very soon. Of course I have to buy a whole litre of buttermilk to get 2 tablespoons.

[rotuts]

SB:

I like the way you SV.

id also like to know if using Russets cut up so they might be uniform, SV , (pasteurized) can then be heated up with the 'Meat'

then Ooooooooooooooo made into Mash?

I love the idea that for not so much work I can SV a lot of Stuff and then just put it in the Re Heater.

[ScottyBoy]

I small dice a lot of root veg, SV and then brown in a pan. They keep perfect shape and are nicely seasoned. Also for mash, retrograding the potatoes before had in the water bath will lead to super creamy potatoes that you can whip the hell out of without getting gummy.

SV then shock and reheat has been a great addition to take the food I make in foreign kitchen to another level.

[rotuts]

WoW !!!

Im going to be into this SV pre mash

what are your temps? Time? do you feel it 'can keep' for a while in a very cold refirg?

so may thanks for this ReVeLaTion!

[Shalmanese]

a great way to make Creme Freche in your SV, seems very easy and certainly economical, I'll have to try this soon!

Creme Freche SV

Seems it DOES work with ultrapasteurized cream which is about all I can get easily. That was the reason I was put off when I first saw that recipe. Must give it a try very soon. Of course I have to buy a whole litre of buttermilk to get 2 tablespoons.

You can also use yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche to culture.

[OliverB]

great tip Shalmanese, thanks! I don't mind buying "buttermilk" (which isn't really buttermilk in the US anyway), but if I can get away with a smaller container or even expand a tub of real creme fraiche to infinity, not bad!!

And maybe it should be noted to non US readers, what's called buttermilk here is a cultured milk drink, NOT what's left over after making butter, which is what I would call real buttermilk. And it tastes heavenly after a long hike to some Alm (old high mountain farm house) in Austria! Thick, creamy, a bit sour, just hits the spot!

[ScottyBoy]

Rotuts - I had to really futz with time but I cook them all at 180. Then to retrograde russets I do 162 for 20 minutes in 1/2 inch slices then just treat them like normal potatoes (they will only be par cooked. Can't vouch on storage time, I use these things the day-of prepping everything the same day.

Let us know how it works out!

[ishkabibble]

"Of course I have to buy a whole litre of buttermilk to get 2 tablespoons."

I've often used this in baking recipes. Grocery stores sometimes carry smaller quantities in the baking needs section.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/dried-buttermilk-powder-16-oz

[Robert Jueneman]

a great way to make Creme Freche in your SV, seems very easy and certainly economical, I'll have to try this soon!

Creme Freche SV

I posted this earlier, but it seems to have been lost.

Great post, but the link to SV Kitchen blog was even more interesting-- some of the most exciting SV recipes I have come across, despite owning many, many recent cookbooks.

After reading a number of the recipes, I went down to Whole Foods in Santa Fe with my most exotic shopping list ever, including monkfish (special ordered), jamon (had to get it at the Spanish Table), truffle salt (who knew such a thing existed!), canned poquillo peppers,Tuscan kale AKA "Dino" kale, fennel seed, pork loin, Calvados (got some for drinking, but also some Applejack for cooking the pork loin with apples recipe), dried porchini mushrooms, dried buttermilk, ahi tuna.

Thanks, Whole Foods!

Great find! I'll be visiting that site often!

Bob

[ermintrude]

I know very little about the safety of potatoes cooked and then stored in an anerobic environment. I am a big chicken as far as food safety goes so I wouldn't store them for more than 24 hours before reheating and serving.

If you want to store them for longer once cooked chill in an ice bath and then keep well refrigerated (3C or lower) and use within 30 days. Cooking at 80C or above for more than an hour will kill of most of the bugs but not the spores of Clostridium botulinum that can lead to botulisum but if you keep it below 3C then they can't grow and produce toxin. Also even if there were some toxin present if then heating to 80C or above and holding for 10 minutes or more will destroy any toxin and so make it safe to eat. (Lower temps for longer can do the same but botulisum is not something to take risks with so make sure they are from a reputable source. Since we're talking SV I'd time it so core temp was at the given temp for the required duration.

[Anna N]

I know very little about the safety of potatoes cooked and then stored in an anerobic environment. I am a big chicken as far as food safety goes so I wouldn't store them for more than 24 hours before reheating and serving.

If you want to store them for longer once cooked chill in an ice bath and then keep well refrigerated (3C or lower) and use within 30 days. Cooking at 80C or above for more than an hour will kill of most of the bugs but not the spores of Clostridium botulinum that can lead to botulisum but if you keep it below 3C then they can't grow and produce toxin. Also even if there were some toxin present if then heating to 80C or above and holding for 10 minutes or more will destroy any toxin and so make it safe to eat. (Lower temps for longer can do the same but botulisum is not something to take risks with so make sure they are from a reputable source. Since we're talking SV I'd time it so core temp was at the given temp for the required duration.

Thanks for the input. All excellent advice but given a home fridge even though I can set it to be 3C, I cannot stop the door being opened and closed multiple times a day and thus affecting the temperature. I am happy to live in my super safe, obsessive-compulsive state and not take chances. There are much braver souls out there and their MMV. Again, thanks for the link.

[mmille24]

I'm sous viding skirt steak at 56c for 9-10 hours. Can I go straight from bag to pan or do I need to put it into an ice bath first for safety reasons?

[vengroff]

I'm sous viding skirt steak at 56c for 9-10 hours. Can I go straight from bag to pan or do I need to put it into an ice bath first for safety reasons?

Straight from bag to pan is fine. 90% of what I sous vide I do that way. Rapid chilling with ice is only needed if you plan to store it in the bag and reheat later.

[Robert Jueneman]

I know very little about the safety of potatoes cooked and then stored in an anerobic environment. I am a big chicken as far as food safety goes so I wouldn't store them for more than 24 hours before reheating and serving.

If you want to store them for longer once cooked chill in an ice bath and then keep well refrigerated (3C or lower) and use within 30 days. Cooking at 80C or above for more than an hour will kill of most of the bugs but not the spores of Clostridium botulinum that can lead to botulisum but if you keep it below 3C then they can't grow and produce toxin. Also even if there were some toxin present if then heating to 80C or above and holding for 10 minutes or more will destroy any toxin and so make it safe to eat. (Lower temps for longer can do the same but botulisum is not something to take risks with so make sure they are from a reputable source. Since we're talking SV I'd time it so core temp was at the given temp for the required duration.

Thanks for the input. All excellent advice but given a home fridge even though I can set it to be 3C, I cannot stop the door being opened and closed multiple times a day and thus affecting the temperature. I am happy to live in my super safe, obsessive-compulsive state and not take chances. There are much braver souls out there and their MMV. Again, thanks for the link.

Anna, even if the fridge door is opened and closed many times, that isn't going to significantly affect the temperature of any chilled food -- even if the air temperature goes up by 5 degrees C or so briefly, because the mass of the food greatly exceeds the mass of the air., and air is a very inefficient way to transfer heat. And although botulism isn't something to take chances with, the difference in growth rates between an average temperature of 3C and 5C would be miniscule. And if you want to hold the potatoes for longer than a week, you could always freeze them.

[Toufas]

my freshmeal solutions kit is on its way.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003VZ0PRY/ref=s9_simh_gw_p79_d0_g199_i3?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0ZD0F7NZ3MZ99PVE6A8J&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294 is this a good pump to get?

also, can someone recommend me a good vac pack machine? The ones I can find on ebay range from cheap to expensive, I don't mind spending money for something better, but I would rather not.

I am cooking dinner for a friendly couple and a girl I like on the 28th.

I am going to make keller's marinated tomatoes in syrup, chicken breast, glazed carrots and mashed potato, and for the vegetarian i am making sv aubergine/eggplant finished with manouri cheese in the oven.

[ScottyBoy]

Congrats on the mention of Sous Vide Dash on the Cooking Issues podcast!

[vengroff]

Congrats on the mention of Sous Vide Dash on the Cooking Issues podcast!

Thanks!

[Toufas]

Well one question which seems to come up for me is what do I do in order to stop my bags reaching the top of my waterbath? I have the vac pack machine now, and I am trying to boil some veggies in a pot of water and the bag seems to be floating at the top all the time.

[rickangell]

Weight. Hold a corner of the bag down with something heavy (e.g. A trivet, ceramic bowl, brick, ...), or use a bag clip to grab the bag and attach the weight to the clip.

[Robert Jueneman]

Lead-weighted 35mm film clips would be ideal, but they are very hard to find in the digital era.

You might want to try sealing some marbles or ceramic pie weights or even lead wheel weights in a small bag, and then use a bag clip to hold the two bags together.

Just make sure that whatever you use doesn't interfere with circulation around the food bag.

[Toufas]

Would these do as a bag clip or they would squeeze the bags too much? http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000YJBLRI/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00004OCK3&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=13YS5R97Y7D6TVNVCKHV

I can't put a weight at the bottom because the heating element is there (fresh meal solutions bubbler)

[pep.]

Would these do as a bag clip or they would squeeze the bags too much? http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000YJBLRI/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00004OCK3&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=13YS5R97Y7D6TVNVCKHV

I can't put a weight at the bottom because the heating element is there (fresh meal solutions bubbler)

How would you use those to anchor a weight to the SV bag?

[rotuts]

not to be combative, but my SV bags do not float. I think if one's SV bags really float, there might be some air in there.

if that's not the issue, then food safe internal weights might be an answer.

is there too much 'swirling' in the bath?

i think glass marbles might be an answer. very clean. no paint.