Both Science and Flavor: How Sous-Vide Has Impacted American Restaurants
Considering its origins in a culinary niche, sous-vide’s expansion throughout the United State’s restaurant industry has been exceptionally rapid. Gaining its foundations as a French cooking innovation in the 1960s, it’s unsurprising to see why the method has caught on so fast with professional chefs and restaurateurs. That being said, it’s an exceptionally innovative, if not unusual, method whose emergence could be called anything but ‘expected’.
Sous-Vide is, as it was during its early days of commercial innovation, a vacuum-based method of food preparation. Not purely a cooking style as much as it is a distinct branch of food science, sous-vide involves precisely sealing the heart of a meal – be it lamb, chicken, or lentil – and subsequently allow the dish to immerse in its own ingredients. The method was first pioneered by a cadre of veteran French chefs, with a notable role taken by Bruno Goussault, and had begun to gain the attention of American chefs by the 1980s. Goussault himself was responsible for chartering Cuisine Solutions, which stands as America’s first major distributors of sous-vide products.
So, taking all this into consideration, what was sous-vide’s major appeal? One of the cooking method’s biggest selling points is that it simultaneously preserves food while augmenting flavor. One of the greatest challenges American restaurants have faced is working around the supply chain. Getting high-quality products, and working with fresh meats, are oftentimes contradictory aims. Even with refrigeration and food packaging having come as far as they have in recent years, there are plenty of situations where the resources at hand come up wanting. One of the myriad benefits of sous-vide is that the vacuum sealing process keeps freshness while also preserving flavor and texture that would otherwise be lost.
Both meat and vegetable preparations sealed through the sous-vide method spend their time prior to preparation actually benefitting from being under wraps. While clearly a food manufacturing method that’s intended for more serious restaurants, sous-vide actually allows the time lapse between production and meal cooking to enrich the food rather than deaden flavor. This is among the foremost reason that the sous-vide cooking method has caught on so swiftly with restaurants across the continental United States. Its ability to surmounts complications from the supply chain and transform these difficulties into a boon has sparked an industry-wide affection for the method.
Ultimately, it’s not difficult to see why a cooking method that was founded overseas only half a century ago has caught on so fast in the United States. America’s restaurant industry is both profitable and notoriously competitive, and exceptionally innovative cooking methods spread through our culinary industry like wildfire. To Sous-Vide’s even greater favor, it’s as pragmatic as it is innovative, which only bodes well for the preparation style’s growing popularity.
Over the years, we’ve posted numerous recipes about one of our favorite holidays, Thanksgiving. The traditions of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce ruminate through every American soul. We’ve compiled a few of our own favorite recipes, showcased some fan favorites and, … Continue reading →
We love when we meet people that are curious and ask: “How can your equipment help our restaurant?”
One year ago in NYC at the StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress, we were asked this question by Martina Priadka, General Manager of the Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. She was inspired by her team, Chefs Derek Moran (a sous vide veteran) and Chef Kristin Tyborski, to learn more about the benefits.
Not long after, they started to add PolyScience sous vide equipment to their kitchen and changed their menu. One year later, the results are exactly what we hoped for. We are especially thankful for this amazing video they put together, allowing us to share with chefs around the world.
The 7th Annual StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress has come and gone. Now that the dust has settled a bit, it’s time for a wrap-up.
The PolyScience Sous Vide Professional™ CLASSIC Series
The PolyScience Sous Vide Professional™ CLASSIC PLUS
The PolyScience Sous Vide Professional™ ARTIST Series
The Sous Vide Toolbox™ app for iOS
PolyScience wins again! From left: Joe Strybel, Philip Preston
From left: Philip Preston, Joe Strybel – PolyScience. Antoinette Bruno and Will Blunt – Star Chefs.
Chef Matt Lightner – Atera
Chef Matt Lightner – Sous Vide Nature vs. Nurture
Chef Matt Lightner – Atera
Brandon Dearden – Aureole, Las Vegas
Pastry Chef Luis Villavelazquez – Les Elements Patisserie, San Francisco
Chef Luis Villavelazquez
We landed on Saturday morning. It was raining. It didn’t matter. Our heads were filled with anticipation and excitement. The ICC is a one-of-a-kind event offering face-to-face, hands-on exposure to some of the most unique equipment and techniques in the culinary world. Chefs, mixologists and industry professionals from every corner of the globe converge on the Park Avenue Armory for three days of what can only be described as culinary rock & roll.
If this is rock & roll, it’s time to set the stage.
We wanted to go big this year. ICC saw a completely new booth set-up for us. The towering crown of the PolyScience booth could be clearly seen from every corner of the Armory. Before the covers could come off and the last cable could get plugged in, we had waves of fans gathering to get a look. Around this centerpiece, we set our newest and best circulators, giving the first glimpses of the newly designed Sous Vide Professional™ CLASSIC, CLASSIC PLUS and ARTIST Series immersion circulators, along with some stunning (and remarkably efficient) stainless steel and polycarbonate integrated bath systems. Follow PolyScience on Facebook and be the first to know when these incredible new circulators start rolling off our production line.
The Sous Vide Professional™ CHEF and CREATIVE Series enjoyed their moments in the spotlight, as well. If being on stage, powering presentations for some of the world’s mostinfluential chefs wasn’t enough, the circulators were scattered around the Congress, helping cook Iberico Pork, Australian Lamb and ORA King Salmon (with a cameo from The Smoking Gun™). Thanks to all the chefs who spread the love and featured PolyScience in their presentations and booths!
Four monitors displayed our Sous Vide Toolbox™ application for iOS. iPads were set up around the booth, allowing ICC attendees to test-drive the Sous Vide Toolbox™. The app was nominated for a StarChefs Innovator Award and was up against some stiff competition. The votes were tallied and WE WON! Thank you to all that voted and thank you to all that have bought and used the app. We would like to send a special thanks to Darren Vengroff, the lead developer of the Sous Vide Toolbox™. His groundwork in building the application has given us room to grow and run. The world of sous vide is going to change greatly because of this mobile application, demystifying thermal conductivity and making sous vide both safe and easy to understand, for any level of user.
PolyScience presents: Nature and Sous Vide Nurture Chef Matt Lightner of Atera – New York, NY
Sous vide novices and experts both walked away with something after Day 2’s workshop with Matt Lightner. He went through the benefits of wrapping bone-in proteins with aluminum foil before vacuum-sealing (to prevent bone punctures), controlling the salt content before sous vide via brining, and the dangers posed by air-exposed sous vide bags during the long cooking process (“it usually happens at night when you’re not at the restaurant”). But the coolest technique was “sous vide searing,” which Lightner explained is essentially dropping vacuum-sealed protein in an 85˚C water bath for a minute to seal in the flavors. Lightner merged his high-tech machinery with his Portland herbage to create an amazing Australian lamb neck dish. The fat and meat in the lamb neck, once cooked sous vide, melted together to form almost a pâté-like consistency, and the wheatgrass emulsion (made using coddled eggs), wheat berries, nasturtium, dried cedar salt, and sorrel added grassy and acidic notes that really brightened the dish.
Excerpt courtesy of StarChefs.com with contributions by Emily Bell, Jessica Dukes, Caroline Hatchett, Nicholas Rummell, and Rachel Willard
The Chef with the PolyScience Tattoo
It’s a fact, chefs love ink. We’ve seen plenty of chef knives, whisks, spoons and even a strip of bacon emblazoned across forearms. When Brandon Dearden – Sous Chef at Aureole, Las Vegas, came up to our booth and revealed a calligraphic “Sous Vide” on the inside of his left bicep, we were all in shock. “Sous vide has changed my life,” said Dearden. “No other method has changed my perspective on cuisine, quite like sous vide has…I’ve also seen too many chef knife tattoos.”
We thought that was it. Not quite. Our jaws dropped when Pastry Chef Luis Villavelazquez – Les Elements Patisserie, San Francisco, took our temporary tattoo design from two years ago and decided to make it more permanent. The old-school, nautical-inspired design that we slapped on t-shirts and temporary tattoos now sits comfortably on Villavelazquez’s right tricep. “I already had these old-school designs, but something was missing right here. (Points to right tricep). When I saw the tattoos you were handing out a couple years ago, I knew where that was going…I also burned it on a sheet pan this week.”
Thanks to Brandon and Luis for rocking sous vide and PolyScience.
Inspiration
Every time we meet with chefs from around the globe, we get inspired to try new things. Hopefully, our equipment brings out the creativity to keep pushing the boundaries of what we declare to be cuisine. At ICC, we share stories and react spontaneously in moments of pure, uninhibited inspiration.
We poured store bought Bloody Mary mix into our Rotary Vacuum Evaporator. The distillate had the powerful aroma of the base and a smooth, balanced flavor profile. We looked at the other flask and saw something even better. Ketchup. Not only was it a pretty tasty ketchup, it smacked of Worcestershire and celery. A powerful wallop of spice snuck up on the back of the palette. We stopped over by our neighbors at Waring Commercial for some of Sam Mason’s pomme frites. When Jeffrey Steingarten dipped his first fry, we thought we were doomed. Then he went back for seconds.
A “from-scratch” Bloody Mary Ketchup recipe awaits you here.
Thank you!
Thank you to Antoinette Bruno, Will Blunt and the entire StarChefs.com team. Special thanks to Alvin Schultz, Matt Lightner, Dave Arnold, Sat Bains, Jeremiah Bullfrog, Brandon Dearden, Francis Derby, Wylie Dufresne, Dirk Flanigan, Greg Grossman, Johnny Iuzzini, Marty Knoten, Hervé Malivert, Francisco Migoya, Tim Mussig, Ramon Perez, John Sconzo, Jeffrey Steingarten, Alex Talbot, Luis Villavelazquez, Jamie Watson, Cuisine Solutions, iSi North America, JB Prince Company, Minipack America, ŌRA KING Salmon, Randell/Unified Brands, Williams-Sonoma and all the other fine folks that made it possible. Until next year…thank you!
For a comprehensive wrap-up from StarChefs.com, click here.
PolyScience is excited to support ChefSteps, the online culinary school led by Chris Young, Grant Crilly, and Ryan Matthew Smith — all alumni of the Modernist Cuisine team. Master techniques of traditional and modernist cooking through practical, hands-on demonstrations with detailed step-by-step explanations. Learn the why’s behind the how’s from experts who bring the science of cooking to life in a compelling and practical way. Whether you are a professional chef, a culinary student, a cooking enthusiast or a curious cook, ChefSteps is for you.
ChefSteps has launched a beta preview of their initial course, a comprehensive study of the sous vide method.
Read more about ChefSteps on their blog.
Notice anything new about CuisineTechnology.com? We lifted up the hood and put a lot of work into fine tuning our website this past month. Take a look around, you’ll see some great new features.
Recipes Section - Sous vide, AntiGriddle™, Smoking Gun™, distilation and more.
We’ve received a lot of inquiries about this process, but…we’re not done yet!
The idea here is to approach the brewing process from a different angle. PolyScience is a leader in temperature control and this is a prime area to flex a little of that precision and know-how.
If it’s been a while since grade school, here’s a refresher on the Scientific Method:
Ask a Question Can the sous vide technique efficiently yield beer? If so, are there any notable improvements to flavor, mouthfeel, yield and ABV?
Do Background Research There have been few attempts at sous vide brewing and there’s very little information available on previous trials.
Construct a Hypothesis Sous vide beer brewing will yield energy efficient processes and will have no noticeable effect on flavor, mouthfeel, yield and ABV.
Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment Five, individual gallon batches will be produced. Two are controls. Of those two, one will be barrel aged using the Sonicprep™ – just for fun. The remaining three are all made using the sous vide approach. These three present different scalings of ingredients and one will also be barrel aged with the Sonicprep.™
Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion TBD
Communicate Your Results So far, the hops were picked and dried, the grains were mashed, the wort got hopped up and the yeast was pitched. Now, we have to sit tight for a bit and enjoy the gentle bubbles coming out of the air locks. We’ll continue to update throughout the experiment. Cheers!
Wyeast #1056 American Ale Yeast. (775 ml Starter – 155 ml/gal)
Optimum temperature: 60–72°F
PRIMING SUGAR:
5 oz (141.75 grams – 28.35 g/gal) Priming Sugar
WATER:
5 Gallons of Bottled, Distilled Water – Divided 1 gal/batch
Here’s the scoop:
The Sous Vide IPA was mellow, noticeably smoother. Aggressive hop additions did little to create the punch we were looking for. The traditional boiled batches were incredibly hoppy with enamel-stripping bitter and grassy flavors. The same recipe via sous vide had a smooth hop profile, but was leaning towards a Wit in mouthfeel. The first sip of the Sous Vide IPA tasted rather flavorless at first. After cleansing the pallet with a few more swigs, the sous vide effect revealed itself. Due to the lower temperatures, the theory is that the lupulin could not be fully extracted. Boiling temperatures are consistently required for such extraction, although it’s been quite difficult locating a credible answer on this extraction process and temperature requirements. Most sources simply suggest to boil the hops, however, we know that boiling temperature is directly related to altitude. So, is it safe to say that a beer brewed at higher elevations would be mellower than that of something brewed at sea level?
Overall opinion? Sous vide beer is not perfect, but with proper balancing, the process is promising.
The process:
This recipe is divided due to the large volume of liquids required. The key is to use the maximum vacuum bag size, but few are able to accomodate volumes larger than 1.5 gallons. If a large enough vaccum bag is not available, add the full mash recipe to the vacuum bag and fill with distilled water, with enough room to still vacuum seal. The remaining water can be added after the mash. If using milled grains, strain the mash. We prefer using biodiesel bags for this process, but Chinois/Fine Mesh Strainers can be substituted.
After straining, funnel the mash into clean and sanitized, open/uncapped 1 gallon carboys. Place the carboys in a circulating water bath at 95°C. The circulating bath must be filled to levels to account for displacement without floating the bottles. Add hop additions as scheduled, via a widemouth funnel. No boil will be reached at this temperature. Allow to heat for 90 minutes.
Once again, strain utilizing a biodiesel bag or fine mesh strainer.
Cool this wort to 22°C/72°F within 60 minutes. Pitch your yeast. For this recipe we utilized a yeast starter, but pitching active yeast in a smack-pack will do just fine. Ferment at 19.4°C/67°F for two weeks.
After two weeks, you may choose to re-rack into secondary fermentation or head straight to priming and bottling.
For more information on the brewing process, click here.
We’re happy that so many of our customers are loving the Sous Vide Toolbox™ for iPhone and iPad. The versatile app allows users to cook sous vide, confidently and safely.
Through complex thermal conductivity and log reduction algorithms, the Sous Vide Toolbox™ helps determine the optimal sous vide cooking and re-heating times for a variety of food at different temperatures.
The Sous Vide Toolbox™ is now available through the Apple App Store for download.
The first few hundred units are out the door and we couldn’t be more excited!
The Sous Vide Professional™ CREATIVE Series brings affordable sous vide technology to the casual user. Stop by our web store for more information and to place your order TODAY.
It’s been quite a busy summer here at PolyScience Cuisine Technology. Here’s what we’ve been up to:
The 7th Annual StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress is fast approaching.
Join PolyScience at the Intenational Chef’s Congress. The ICC is one of a kind, and it’s back: a three-day culinary symposium that gathers more than 90 of the world’s most innovative chefs, pastry chefs, mixologists, and sommeliers to present the latest techniques and culinary concepts to their peers. Read more»
CuisineTechnology.com has been updated!
Notice anything new about CuisineTechnology.com? We lifted up the hood and put a lot of work into fine tuning our website this past month. Read more»
The CREATIVE Series is now shipping!
The first few hundred units are out the door and we couldn’t be more excited! The Sous Vide Professional™ CREATIVE Series brings affordable sous vide technology to the casual user. Stop by our web store for more information and to place your order TODAY. Read more»
Which Sous Vide Professional™ is for you?
CREATIVE? CLASSIC? CHEF? The Sous Vide Professional™ comparison guide breaks it all down so you can choose the circulator that’s right for you. Read more»
Thermal Conductivity? There’s an App for that.
So many of our customers are already loving the Sous Vide Toolbox™ for iPhone and iPad. The versatile app allows users to cook sous vide, confidently and safely. How can the Sous Vide Toolbox™ help you? Read more »
Sous Vide Beer?
You read that correctly. Read more»
What’s New in PolyScience Social Media?
PolyScience is now on Instagram and Pinterest! Facebook, Twitter and YouTube host a wealth of updated content from around the globe. Read on for what’s new and don’t forget to follow us. Read more»
Upcoming Events:
StarChefs 2012, ICC Workshops, The Science of Food, Omnivore, PolyScience with Ideas in Food and the ACF South Florida Regional…see where our frequent flyer miles take us next. Read more»
We always enjoy talking to our friends and customers. Now, the PolyScience Cuisine Technology social media channels are bringing us all together to share the creativity and innovation. Here’s what’s new in social media:
PolyScience is now on Instagram and Pinterest!
Post your favorite recipes and culinary adventures. Follow us and tag your photos #SousVide, #SmokingGun, #AntiGriddle and we’ll be sure to give you a like and a share!
Facebook
Facebook keeps growing – 7300 fans and counting! That’s “Thanks!” 7300 times!
Follow us to join in the discussion, get advance notice on product announcements, website updates, news, photos and recipes from fans like you. We’ll even have the occasional contest!
Twitter
@polyscience has been recently retweeted by @wired, @ideasinfood, @DanielBoulud and more! Join the conversation today and keep up with PolyScience and the world’s greatest chefs.
YouTube
We’ve shared dozens of new videos from friends around the world in newly organized playlists. Check out the how-to videos for tips and tricks on keeping your Sous Vide Professional™ running in tip-top shape. There’s plenty of new Rotary Evaporator and Sonicprep™ videos, too. More videos are being uploaded every week.
As the company that pioneered and popularized sous vide cooking in the world’s best kitchens, we are now putting this precise temperature cooking technique within reach of curious chefs and other casual users. We are excited to announce the latest addition to PolyScience’s portfolio of sous vide immersion circulators: The Sous Vide Professional™ CREATIVE Series.
The Sous Vide Professional™ CREATIVE Series is specifically designed for the casual user. It provides an excellent value alternative while delivering quality results and puts this precise temperature cooling technique within reach of curious chefs and other casual users. By cooking in a circulating, precisely controlled bath, you get repeatability, uniform doneness, enhanced flavor, and perfect texture without the stress of strict timing.
The CREATIVE Series is priced in the U.S. at $499.95. Orders are accepted now on our website and through our retail and distribution partners worldwide. Models will be available by mid-August.
Extremely easy to use, the CREATIVE Series Immersion Circulator makes achieving the amazing flavors and textures associated with sous vide cooking exceedingly simple and exceptionally affordable. It includes this precise Immersion Circulator a well as a Guide to Sous Vide Cooking that contains step-by-step instructions, suggested cooking times/temperatures, and a listing of on-line resources. An iPhone/iPad app that calculates cooking time based on the type and size of food being cooked is also available under the name “Sous Vide Toolbox.”
In addition to the Sous Vide Professional™ CREATIVE Series, PolyScience offers the CHEF Series and the CLASSIC Series.
The Sous Vide Professional™ CHEF Series was introduced in 2010 and quickly became the standard in professional kitchens and has been seen on TV shows such as Iron Chef America, Top Chef, and Chef Masters. The first PolyScience product for sous vide cooking, the 7306C Sous Vide® Circulator, was introduced in 2004 and was used by many chefs around the world as they explored sous vide cooking. This workhorse circulator, now called the Sous Vide Professional™ CLASSIC Series, is featured in several important books on sous vide cooking, including Under Pressure by Chef Thomas Keller, Alinea by Chef Grant Achatz, and Modernist Cuisine by Nathan Mhyrvold.
Dad loves ribs. It’s a fact. Slow-cooked, juicy, fall-off-the-bone ribs make his mouth water. Here’s an easy recipe that you can prep a few days ahead, give a quick char on the grill and off you go. Wet-naps not included.
Ingredients:
2 Full slabs of Baby Back or St. Louis Style Pork Ribs, cut into four half slabs.
3-4 Tablespoons your favorite BBQ Dry Rub (to coat)
For Smoked BBQ Sauce: 2 cups (480 ml) tomato ketchup
1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock
½ teaspoon Sriracha (Thai Chili Sauce)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Step 1: Combine BBQ Sauce Ingredients in saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat. Stir regularly to avoid scorching of the tomato ketchup. Cool completely.
Step 2: Coat ribs with BBQ Dry Rub thoroughly. Brush off excess.
Step 3: Place ribs under a broiler or on the grill to brown. About 10 minutes. Cool completely before vacuum sealing.
Step 4: Set the Sous Vide Professional™ to 140°F/60°C, with the rear port closed and front port fully open.
Step 5: With PolyScience Smoking Gun™ and a sealed container, smoke cooled BBQ sauce with Whiskey Barrel smoke for five minutes. Add enough smoke to trap in container. Let sit for five minutes. Remove lid, stir to incorporate. Repeat, if more smoke flavor is desired.
Step 6: Brush sauce on slabs of ribs to coat top-side thoroughly. Reserve sauce for next steps.
Step 7: Vacuum seal ribs with an additional two tablespoons of sauce in the bag. Reserve remaining sauce in refrigerator for final step.
Step 8: Place sealed bag in circulating water bath and cook for 48 hours.
Step 9: Remove bag, carefully open the pouch.
Step 10: Brush remaining sauce on ribs.
Step 11: Optional: Place ribs under broiler or on grill to caramelize.
Remember that time that Dad caught a fish “thiiiiis big?” Get a few thick cut salmon steaks from your local fish monger and relive that tale again. After all, Dad’s best tales are often his fish tales.
Ingredients: 4 12oz (340 gm) Salmon Steaks
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Lemon, zested
1 Lime, zested
4 Sprigs of Thyme, intact
½ Teaspoon Paprika
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Optional equipment: Brûlée torch
Step 1: Set the Sous Vide Professional™ to 140°F/60°C*, with the rear port closed and front port fully open.
Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, juices and seasonings. Divide and distribute liquid evenly into four vacuum bags.
Step 3: Individually vacuum seal salmon steaks with one sprig of thyme placed in center of steak. Take care not to apply full compression to the salmon.
Step 4: Place salmon in circulating water bath and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Step 5:
Cooked salmon is incredibly delicate! Gently remove from vacuum bag. Serve as is, or char with a torch. Alternatively, the salmon can be given some grill marks or a sear in a hot non-stick pan, and cooled thoroughly before Step 3.
Tip: The salmon skin can be toasted by gently heating it with the torch until golden, brown and delicious.
*Food Safety Note: The salmon can be cooked as low as 127.5°F/53°C. 140°F/60°C assures a well-done temperature throughout.
Steak! Steak! Steak! Dad absolutely loves how tender this skirt steak comes out. How tender? Tender like Dad’s heart. Awwww.
Serves 4-6, or makes 6-8 sandwiches Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 2 hours
Ingredients: 4 Outside Skirt Steak, cleaned
4 Tablespoons of Rendered Bacon Fat (Olive Oil may be substituted.)
4 Sprigs of Thyme
4 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
2 Shallots, cut in half, ends and skin removed
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
For steak sandwiches (optional): 6-8 Italian Rolls, lightly grilled
Caramelized red onions
Mayonnaise
Black Pepper Coarse/Butcher Grind
Step 1: Set the Sous Vide Professional™ to the 138°F/59°C, with rear pump flow switch closed and front flow switch set to fully open.
Step 2: Season skirt steak portions with kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper. In a vacuum bag, place seasoned, trimmed portion of steak with 1T bacon fat, thyme, shallot and garlic. Vacuum seal.
Step 3: Place sealed steaks in circulating water bath and cook for 2 hours.
Step 4: Remove the beef skirt steak from vacuum bag. Dry off with paper towel or kitchen towel.
Step 5: On a hot grill, sear skirt steaks until browned or charred, if desired.
Step 6: Beef will require very little resting time. After 60 seconds of rest, beef may be sliced and plated.
Meat and potatoes. That’s our kind of Dad. The Chevre goat cheese adds a tangy punch and these mashers go well with just about everything for your summer cookout. Prepare them a couple days ahead and enjoy a beer or game of catch with Pops.
Ingredients: 15-20 small potatoes, peeled (if desired) and cut into quarters
2 tablespoons butter
3 Scallions/Green Onions, sliced in 1” pieces.
salt and pepper to taste
6 ounces Chevre Goat Cheese
Step 1: Set the Sous Vide Professional™ to 180°F/82°C, with the rear port closed and front port fully open.
Step 2: Put potatoes, scallions and butter into vacuum bag, taking care to arrange in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper. Vacuum seal.
Step 3: Place sealed bag in circulating water bath and cook for 90 minutes.
Step 4: Remove the potatoes from water bath. Open and drain into colander; pour the potatoes into a food processor, add the goat cheese, and puree until smooth. If a food processor is not available, potatoes can be mashed with a fork or masher.
Step 5: Mashed Potatoes can be cooled, vacuum sealed and kept for up to 4 days, or up to 6 months in the freezer.
It wouldn’t be summer without corn on the cob. Preserve the harvest into the winter months; just blanch each ear of shucked corn for 2 minutes before cooling, vacuum sealing and freezing.
Ingredients: 4 Ears of Corn, shucked, washed and ends trimmed
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons/56g) Smoked Butter (Recipe)
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Step 1: Set the Sous Vide Professional to 180°F/82°C, with the rear port closed and front port fully open.
Step 2: Season ears of corn and place in vacuum bag with butter, taking care to arrange in a single layer. Vacuum seal.
Step 3: Place sealed bag in circulating water bath and cook for 30-45 minutes.
Step 4: Remove the corn from the sealed pouch and serve immediately. You may also quickly roast the cooked ears of corn on a grill to enhance flavor.
Important Note: Sometimes, the corn gives off naturally occurring gases during the cooking process and will cause the vacuum bag to bloat. As long as proper time and temperature procedures have been practiced, this is normal and harmless. As with all cooking techniques, cleanliness and proper sanitation practices are of the utmost importance. When not immediately serving sous vide items, you must chill down your product to 41°F/5°C within four hours.
A recent post on Panera Bread’s website explains sous vide cooking to their guests. “Our Flavor Secret Revealed: Sous Vide What do our bakery-cafes have in common with the world’s finest restaurants? Here’s a look inside the amazing sous vide cooking technique, plus ways to bring it home.”
Learn more about sous-vide in this video featuring Cuisine Solution’s Executive Chef Bruno Bertin and Dan Kish, Head Chef at Panera Bread.
Click here for more information on Sous Vide Professional Chef Series and Sous Vide Cooking equipment.
