Vide
Fanny Lococo
First, what is sous vide? Directly translated to under the vacuum, sous vide is a method of preparing food with the added help of an immersion circulator (which often is given the title of sous vide, when in reality sous vide is the method.) Think like baking is done with an oven, sous vide is done with an immersion circulator.
The appliance does exactly as its name would suggest, it is immersed in water and circulates that water around the container. The cool thing about this gadget is it increases and maintains the temperature of the water at an extremely exact temperature, some machines keeping it consistent to .1 of a degree. When you add food placed in a vacuum-sealed bag, you can cook that food to very exact temperatures. The sealed bag allows whatever is inside to cook alongside its own juices as well as any seasoning or marinades added to the bag, with no loss like in other cooking methods. The temperature control also allows for the food to be cooked for extended periods of time without being considered overcooked. This helps to tenderize the food, breaking down the fibers like you would see in a braise, but with the temperature never going over what you set it to. However, food can go too long in a sous vide, making it a bit mushy.
This means you can utilize a sous vide for meal prepping, or to have ready-to-go food in your freezer for cravings or last minute get togethers. This is all, of course, assuming they are in properly vacuum sealed bags. The Ziploc trick is completely fine for beginners but food in these bags will not keep fresh as long as true vacuum-sealed bags.
We don't offer sous vide classes at The Chopping Block due to the length of cooking time, but if you are looking for a class to give you a solid foundation in the kitchen, don't miss our Essential Building Blocks on Friday, March 1 at 9am. You'll spend a day in our kitchen exploring the basic science and techniques all cooks should know.
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A bourbon old-fashioned is a three-hour process in which you mix bourbon, sugar, cherries, and orange zest together in a mason jar. The resulting drink is profoundly good, the sort of drink that hits several different notes on the tongue; smoky bourbon giving way to the tang of orange, cherries providing sweetness underneath.
I even used the sous vide as a shortcut for making a nettle infusion in three hours instead of overnight, and the herbal tincture clearly cured me of all my ills. It was a true hippie move and I felt like a real witch.
The first time I made a cake, I decided to see what it would be like in a Ziploc bag. It took three hours. Air holes popped up in the batter. I pulled the cake out of the bath, let it cool, and I took a bite: It was moist. Not moist like delicious, but moist like over-oiled, mushy, and it left a film stuck to your mouth. It was, in short, inedible. But I gave cake a second chance, looking at the online recipes of Anova genius Kate Williams, who understands how to make baking work with a sous-vide: It requires a mason jar. For the second cake attempt, I filled a mason jar with the batter. The glass floated; turning my cake into a teardrop. Despite that snafu, and a lack of pie weights, three hours later, I had a bite. Instead of the previous mush, I had a perfectly calibrated cake, the sort that leaves no crumbs and no crumble.
Having sous-vided everything from steak, to drinks, to my own body, I didn't know if there was anything left to sous vide. My husband sent me a video of a man sous-viding an entire pig in a hot tub. But our landlord would probably have some issues with me bringing an entire pig carcass into my apartment. Yet that obstacle remains as a future goal to pursue. Every lazy home chef needs a final frontier to push past. While I hunt those out, I'll be sitting here drinking a cocktail and resting my feet in a pot normally used for winter soups.
We cooked up a generous cut of Sous Vide Beef Brisket for this week's instalment of #sousvidesista on Instagram. The footage was from back in the winter, but with the weather warming up, I'd say it's perfect timing!
Beef brisket is a tough cut from the breast section, making it a perfect candidate for a low, slow cook, sous vide style. How long and what temperature are a matter of taste and texture. It's usually boneless and sold in one of two cuts:
We've only been able to find the point a couple times, so we generally buy the flat and choose one that is accompanied by a generous bit of fat, throughout and on top. The leaner the cut, the drier the end result, so grab a fatty piece for a more succulent brisket.
My preference is a smoked brisket, but I've also enjoyed it sans smoking. Back when we made this Sous Vide Beef Brisket, it was too cold and snowy to fire up the outdoor grill/smoker, so we pulled out our trusty Smoking Gun to add a little smoky flavour. No thick, black bark, like that produced with traditional smoking, but it is so handy and a breeze to use!
To contain the smoke to the kitchen, we turn the stove exhaust fan on high and work directly under, or close by. We place the item to be smoked in a sealable bag or plastic-wrapped bowl, leaving a small opening for the smoker nozzle. Then we let it rip for 5 minutes, in this case, then wrap it tightly and allow it to infuse for about 30 minutes.
We have cooked our fair share of meat, poultry and fish and we continue to play with pre and post smoking. My preference is to smoke before cooking, meat in particular - fruits and veggies, I prefer to smoke post-cook, while still hot in the sous vide bag. And if you don't have a smoker, or don't want your house wafting with mesquite, hickory, applewood or some other delicious aroma, there is always liquid smoke.
The second photo from the top may look on the dry side, but it wasn't. Although it wasn't as juicy as the one below, it was meaty, firm and steak-like in texture. We cooked that one at 57.2C/135F for 36 hours.
The brisket below was also cooked sous vide and that is a crappy photo from a couple years ago. It was one of my favourite - flavourful, succulent, tender amazingness. This one we cooked at 68.3C/155F for 24 hours. You can also take it to 36 hours without ruining the end result.
We paired this one with polenta, greens and used the bag juices to create a gravy that was the perfect topping for a deliciously, comforting meal. You'll catch a glimpse of that dish in the video below.
So, have you started cooking sous vide? I am pleased to report that I have converted a total of twenty+ friends, colleagues and subscribers/followers. There may be more...if you are one, let a sista know! ?
Sous vide isn't all about meat and fish, let me turn you on to its sweeter, seductive side, by showing you how to make Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate. It's simple, fuss-free, fail-safe and mostly hands-off!
Our first few years of cooking sous vide were centered mostly around all things savoury. In the last few years, however, I've really taken to sous vide for sweet applications. I especially like preparing custard-based recipes like ice cream, creme brle puddings etc. in this manner. Custards are cooked perfectly, without curdling and this is done, mostly hands-off.
Given my understanding of what it takes for caramelization to occur, I was skeptical about this technique when I saw it on a Reddit feed, then I came across this article. Perhaps more of what takes place in the bag submerged in what is relatively low temperature has to do with Milliard reaction.
Which ever you decide, I think it may be the latter, it certainly produced rich, dark, nutty, caramelized results comparable to the traditional oven method. Only thing missing was that heavenly aroma that filled my home when it's done in the oven.
My first batch, back in January, went into this and another into this and a few other goodies yet to be blogged. I've also done it with milk chocolate, which I then tempered and shelled for bonbons. Glorious!
Straight out of the bag, it will be thick and appear grainy. Not to worry. A little elbow grease will get it to deep, golden, shiny, viscous deliciousness. From there, you can use it in a number of applications from bars to bonbons to ice creams, cookies and cakes.
Like I always say there are a lot of ways to skin a cat when it comes to cooking. That is especially true with steak. We have recipes & videos on this website on how to grill steaks over an open fire, reverse sear steaks, etc. However, in this video we will use a very popular restaurant technique using a circulator to get the meat very tender and then a griddle to sear to get an awesome crust on the steak.
Vacuum seal the steaks. This can be done in a ziplock bag as an alternative, but you will need a weighted object to keep the bag from floating in the water bath. Allow the seasoning to adhere in the bag for at least 30 minutes.
What I love about this recipe, is that the mousse is cooked in individual cups. That makes it perfect for gifts or hosting a party. So easy and adorable. Only word of warning, put the mason jars in the water as it heats up so that the glass can come to temperature with the water and that will keep it from breaking.
Messy level: While the sous vide machine is easy to clean, and the mousse is made in its serving container, this is a two spoon recipe because you do have to do a little work on the stove before the official cooking begins.
Sous Vide Chocolate Mousse Print Prep time 2 hours 30 mins Cook time 1 hour Total time 3 hours 30 mins Serves: 5 Ingredients
- 1 cups heavy cream 4 ounces bitter sweet chocolate, roughly chopped 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch of salt 4 egg yolks whipped cream and flaky sea salt, optional toppings 5, 4oz mason jars
- In a small sauce pan, heat the heavy cream to a simmer. Once it is simmering, remove from the heat. Whisk the chocolate, sugar, vanilla, and salt into the heavy cream. Whisk until smooth. Make sure you get into the edges of the pan - chocolate likes to get stuck there! Add the egg yolks one at a time. Mix each yolk in completely before adding the next yolk. By the end the liquid will be a rich and silky texture. For easy pouring, transfer the liquid to a liquid measuring cup or pitcher. Pour the chocolate liquid evenly between the mason jars. Put the lid on and tighten so it's snug, but not so tight that it's later going to be impossible to twist off. Put your sous vide in a large pot. Add the water until just above the minimum water line. Then, gently place the jars into the pot, making sure they are touching the bottom. Set the bath to 176F/80C. When the water gets to temperature, cook the chocolate for an additional 1 hour. After an hour, use tongs to remove the jars from the water. Place the hot jars on a kitchen towel and let cool slightly (10 minutes). Putting the hot and wet class jar on a cool counter could potentially break the glass, so it's good to put it on a towel first. Put the jars in the fridge for 1.5-3 hours. This will help the mousse set fully. If you take it out closer to 1.5 hours the mousse will still be a bit warm, light, and silky. If you let it sit in the fridge longer, the mousse will get cool, denser, and very rich. After 3 hours to get it back to silky and light, just leave the mousse out at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Serve directly from the mason jar with a soon. Feel free to top with whipped cream and/or a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. Also good just plain!
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