Pierre laSerre

[Wolfert]

Does anyone have any experiences with Pierre LaSerre's SmartPot tm?

Back in the early eighties, it was popular in Canada. La Serre promoted cooking 'boilable bag wrapped' fish, chicken or beef in water set at very low temperatures.

Edited December 21, 2004 by Wolfert (log)

[jayt90]

I don't recall Laserre or his method here in central Ontario. But could it be a variation on the low pressure vacuum 'boil in bag' now available to all of us in freezer bag devices? The Iron Chef featured this method last Sunday (Food Network Canada) and the claim was made that the method was developed in France in the 70's.

[Wolfert]

I made a mistake---- his name is Pierre de Serres and he invented a

"smart pot' back in the 80's. This 'smart pot' looked like a crock pot, but it used exact heat instead of cooking time to achieve perfect results.

For example, he wrapped up a roast in a plastic pouch and immersed it in water that was exactly 145 degrees F. You placed it in the pot in the morning. and it came out perfectly medium rare, no matter when you took it out.

He did the same with fish and developed specific temperatures for optimum cooking:salmon at 155 F;Sole at 165; Grouper at 175; and Haddock at 145 F.

The last address I have for him is in Don Mills Ontario.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Edited December 25, 2004 by Wolfert (log)

[malcolmjolley]

Don Mills was Toronto’s answer to Levittown; our first post-war suburb. It’s been long incorporated into the city proper, but it has retained its mix of residential and commercial zoning.

In the 1970’s and 80’s it was a regular P.O. box address for 1-800 direct marketing ads on TV. Precisely the sort that the SmartPot might be sold from. Could that be the origin of your last address?

I have a friend who, among other things, is a bit of a connoisseur of “as seen on TV” products and I’ll enquire with him about this M. de Serres and his SmartPot. I will also put something out in our next Gremolata.com newsletter.

Nothing like quite like a Canadian Crock-Pot Caper!

M.

PS. Weirdly and wonderfully enough, before I checked the forum my wife and I were thumbing through the Slow Mediterranean Cookbook for a good New Year’s Day dish. Haven’t decided yet.

PPS. Don Mills was famously the site of the indigenous Four Seasons Hotel Chain’s Inn on the Park, which was the height of mid-sixties to late-seventies Toronto suburban chic – there’s a great article on it n this month’s Toronto Life.

[Wolfert]

thank you so much for your response.

I will check back everyday to hear whatever you find out. This will be really something extraordinary because I believe that Pierre de Serres was doing some revolutionary work in the slow cooking and sous vide field before some of the better known folk got on board. He was a scientist, not a chef, and when he explained the "smart pot" to me I was filled with the words of meat fibres, enzymes, and connective tissues which made my head swirl. I learned that he gave his home invention to his wife, sarah suherland, who changed the name to la cusine machine and wrote a cookbook to accompany it. I'm still searching for that book as well.

Way back when he sent me a cooking chart for fish and cooking times which was part of a research project conducted by the Canadian federal department of agriculture. The study focused on the temeprature at which the flesh of various meats and fish were at their best.

One correspondence included the following: " in all cases, flakiness has developed by 60 degrees C, but the texture was not necessarily at its best. "

I think this guy is getting a short shrift. Thanks for any help.

[malcolmjolley]

Fascinating stuff! You have me hooked! We'll get to the bottom of it!

[Wolfert]

Here is an address I have fromanother letter dated 1988.

Freedom Cookery

1235 Bay Street

Suite 400

Toronto M5R 3K4

hone 969 9306

[malcolmjolley]

That's certainly a commercial/office tower address, in Yorkville - downtown Toronto - the building is still there (assuming mappoint.com is right).

Perhaps he had an office there and the wharehouse and/or the distibution/fulfillment co. he used was in Don Mills?

This is really silly, but have you tried Canada411.com?