back to basics

I wanted to go back to the beginning or back to basics in a way, and talk about sous vide cooking, its pros and con, however I will focus on the pros, because they way over power the con.

Actually the only con I can think of is th  fact that it cooks over a long time meaning more electricity being used, however its really a pro, since it uses less electricity then an oven.

The theory behind cooking sous vide, is that the food is put in a vacuumed seal  bag, and temperature controlled water circulates around the bag in a way massaging the food as it cooks, but most of all, its the exact temperature controlled water that is what makes the technology so fascinating.  Because the temp is controlled you can continuously cook anything without over cooking.

For example, when I cook a steak in restaurant, either you sear the meat on a super hot grill or in a 400 degree pan.  Either way you can get a medium rare steak.  However the meat will cook in levels.

WELL DONE - where the grill marks or sear is
MEDIUM WELL - right underneath the marks, the meat is pretty close to well done
MEDIUM- heat hasn't fully reached to this part of the meat
MEDIUM RARE -  centre
MEDIUM -heat hasn't fully reached to this part of the meat
MEDIUM WELL -  right underneath the marks, the meat is pretty close to well done
WELL DONE - where the grill marks or sear is

Now this is the best case scenario if the grill cook prepared your meat properly, but what happens if he or she didn't, then you are stuck with a piece that is unevenly cooked.  Another issue I find , people say wheres the talent in putting a piece of meat in a bag and cooking it.  Actually that's where the talent lies.  to be able to know the exact temp needed, know how to manipulate and change the food by infusing flavours, adjusting textures, and most of all adapt to new flavours, I think is talent.

Infusing different flavours to make things like ice cream, yes ice cream , is a relatively simple idea, however who would have thought that making ice cream can be done in a sous vide machine.  Also because not as much spices are needed in the bag you save more money, and you also get a higher yield of your product.

Now what are some other pros to cooking sous vide.  Because cooking is done in a temp controlled water bath, you get even cooking throughout.  So your chicken breast that people are scared to cook for fears that it will come out dry, well put it in the sous vide machine at 160 for approx 20 minutes, and you have the juiciest piece of chicken ever.  Not going to serve ti right away, because your guests have not arrived yet, that's ok.  The meat will still stay moist and juicy.

Now the same can not be said about all vegetable.  Green vegetables still have the chance of going too dark, so you must be sure not to overcook them by leaving them in the water for too long.  However vegetables like potatoes and turnips, can stay in a bit longer if you leave them at a low enough temperature, i.e. not going over 185 degrees maximum.