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Viva Sous-Vide!Prepped, sealed, and delivered |
French for “under-vacuum,” sous-vide is a method of vacuum-packing food, then slow-cooking it at low temperatures for intensely flavorful, colorful results. First used mainly by the French in the 1970s, it was made world famous when experimental chefs Ferran Adria and Heston Blumenthal picked it up in the ‘90s, and then it spread to white-tablecloth restaurants across the United States.
It may have won converts among the world’s top chefs, but not among health inspectors. Earlier this year, New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene put a stop to sous-vide, claiming that the low-oxygen, low-temperature environment could lead to food poisoning. According to HACCP, or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (a food-safety program used by the FDA, USDA, and many commercial kitchens), all food should be cooked to an internal temperature above 135°F to kill bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Many pro chefs say it’s killed off at far lower temperatures than the law requires, but there’s no consensus on what that temperature is. Particularly with sous-vide. Some chefs sous-vide at temperatures as low as 104°F. Others cook food to as high as 190°F.
As with any illicit activity, you can get away with more at home than you can at a restaurant. All you need for DIY sous-vide is a vacuum-sealing device to encase your food in heat-resistant plastic (polyethylene) and a way to keep your cooking water at a precise temperature. It’s not hard, and the results can be spectacular. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts become silky. Carrots turn tender and sweet, but stay beautifully bright.
As with any illicit activity, you can get away with more at home than you can at a restaurant.
Vacuum Sealer
FoodSaver Advanced Design V2840 Kit
FoodSaver, $179.99
Yep—these are those machines advertised on late-night infomercials that vacuum-seal your leftovers. FoodSaver emphatically does not advocate the use of its products for sous-vide. But—ssshhh—both home and pro cooks are doing it.
It comes with a sealing machine that’s easy to use, and a set of specially designed plastic bags. Reusable and safe in boiling water, the microwave, and even the dishwasher, the bags are perfect for sous-vide. Simply seal your food inside and submerge in hot water to begin cooking. Sucking out the oxygen keeps your food pretty and bright, while prohibiting most bacterial growth. It also ensures that your food is kept as close as possible to the hot water without actually touching it, for even cooking. (FoodSaver offers several other models with various features, as well.)
Temperature-Control Device
Model 7306C Thermal Circulator
PolyScience, $950
When cooking sous-vide, a few degrees above or below your target temperature can mean the difference between tender, tough, or total mush. Serious sous-vide enthusiasts use thermal circulators. These are like extremely precise Jacuzzi pumps for your pot. Dozens of manufacturers make thermal circulators—mostly for use in labs—but only PolyScience markets its products for cooking. Model 7306C, used by pro chefs like Grant Achatz of Chicago’s Alinea, looks like a hand mixer that clamps on the side of a pot (shown at right in its metal holder). Instead of whisks, it has four silver tubes that extend down to neatly stacked heating coils. Water is sucked in over the pump, sent through a short curved outlet tube at their base, and then back again, keeping your water moving and at the constant temperature you set on its digital dial.
Why not just use a slow cooker for sous-vide? Good question. I decided to test the Crock-Pot Rival 5 Quart Round Smart-Pot Programmable Slow Cooker, Model 38501-W (the cheapest in Crock-Pot’s programmable line), against the PolyScience Model 7306C Thermal Circulator to see which worked better.
Why not just use a slow cooker for sous-vide?
Using the Thermal Circulator in a stockpot, I set the target temperature to 131°F—the temperature I use to get my meat medium rare. With the Slow Cooker, you can’t program the temperature, only the time. So to get the same temperature, I set it to High; and when the temperature in the Slow Cooker reached 131°F, I set it at its standard, variable Keep Warm setting. When I submerged FoodSaver bags of steak in both, the Thermal Circulator’s internal thermometer showed that it had adjusted itself to maintain constant temperature. But a digital-probe thermometer showed that the temperature in the Slow Cooker had dipped. I switched the latter back to High to heat it up again. Once it reheated, I switched it back to Keep Warm and had to constantly keep an eye on it, fiddling with the buttons for much of the two-hour cooking time.
Once the time was up, I let the steaks rest a few minutes and then cut them open. The Slow Cooker meat was not bad, but slightly dark around the edge. The Thermal Circulator’s was remarkable. It was tender pink from edge to edge.
To learn more about sous-vide, check out Sous-Vide Cuisine, by Joan Roca and Salvador Brugués (Montagud, 2005). Or check out this thread on eGullet.
The sous-vide cooking method was originally designed for mas production cooking and at the same time trying to keep the food fresh and flavorful. The method was used in hospitals and on airplanes (just 2 of many applications). It takes the FDA to again to ruin the party. They've done the same thing with raw eggs as in 'Caesar Salad'. Two people get sick out of the millions who are enjoying it and the FDA is again freaking out. I feel that the Hotel and Restaurant associations should put enough relevant data together and fight this.
There's a good description of the sous vide experience at http://www.meirrinde.com :
Cooking in a Vacuum
Connecticut chefs experiment with a cutting-edge cooking technique, while health inspectors scratch their heads in wonder
What are the temperature accuracy requirements for Sous Vide recipes? Are + or - 2 degree F temperature fluctions acceptable? Do we really need to have sub 1 degree F accuracy offered by the professional system?
I found a thermostat online that can be used in conjunction with a crockpot. The thermostat senses the temperature of the water inside the pot and can be set so that it turns off the crock when the desirable temperature is reached. The temperature differential is 1 - 2 degree F. The thermostat is only around $70. Potentially, this could mean a roughly $100 crockpot thermostat combo can work almost as well as a $1000 professional system.
The thermostat can be found here: <http://www.mgreptiles.com/Ranco.html>
Does anyone have any experience using the setup I just described? If people are interested I can test to see how feasable such a setup really is and apraise everyone of the details.
Comolongo,
I would be interested in your results.
Thanks.
After researching on the web, I have been experimenting with sous-vide at home for six months or so, and it is much less complicated than you might expect. I have mainly used it for braises, which are more forgiving, I'd guess, than fish or even a steak, but I everything has turned out very well.
I have used a large pot, about 12 qt, which makes tempature control much easier, and a simple $20 imersion thermometer. The temp will go down, obviously, when you add the cold vacume pack, but I raise the heat (and stir the water) til I have my target temp, ten return to my base level and from there it's pretty much automatic pilot.
I have had great success in particular with braised pork, both a tomato/wine etc version and Marcella Hazen's pork in milk adapted to sous-vide. It's also great to make duck confit at home, as it requires a minimal amount of duck fat.
Also, remember that you are eliminating all dehydration, so you will need less of any liquid ingredients you are adding to the package vs. a standard cooking method. A last tip, liquids are sucked out by the vacume machine, so you must either freeze the package before sealing, or simply press the bag tight to eliminate most air, then seal without vacume. I have gone the latter route mostly and it works fine.
Don't be discouraged by how complicated some of the articles on the web make it sound, or the health issues described by nervous local departments. The technique as practiced in the home is more akin to braising, slow-cooking, and traditional barbeque than "food processing." An experienced cook is going to be able to do this easily and to great result.
Another advantage of the professional circulator over the crockpot - the circulator keeps water moving.
Much in the same way that hot and cold zones can develop in a conventional oven, the same thing can happen in crock pots. A convection fan helps correct this problem in ovens, while the water jet in a thermal circulator helps correct it for sous-vide cooking.
As far as +-2 degrees is concerned, for most applications you're fine, but for some, this degree of accuracy is needed. Cooking a braising meat or 2 degrees higher than optimum can mean the difference between buttery-smooth, moist results and stringy meat that sheds it's liquid as soon as the bag is openned. Cooking a slow-cooked egg (2 hours +) at 145 instead of 143 will give you a hard-boiled egg, instead of a custardy one.
I have gotten the Ranco thermostat and a ViaAqua external fish tank water circulator, so in the next few weeks, I will be testing out the setup and seeing how well it can cook my sous vide dishes. Where would be a good place to post my findings for everyone to see? I am making Sous Vide steak tonight, anyone have any good recipe suggestions? I am a non-vegetarian, so any meaty recipes are welcome.
Last week's LA Times food sec has an interesting article (by Regina Schrambling) called Slow & Low which includes a down and dirty version of sous vide - using regular zip lock bags and cooking for just 15 minutes - for a simple shrimp dish, crediting Table 8 for the recipe. May be a good starting place for sous-virgins!
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/...
Comolongo, can a fish tank circulator handle 140-185° temps? I'd think not, as obviously you have a fish cooker vs fish tank at anything over maybe 80°!!
I was in Target the other day, and they were selling this hand held pin hole vacuum device for $20 that worked with special zip lock type bags with a matching pin hole for sucking the air out after you zip up the bag. sorry I can't remember the name of this product, but it seemed interesting for someone looking for a budget way to get the air out of their bags before sealing them.
I've got a better solution than the crockpot as a makeshift immersion circulator: an electric deep fryer. Think about it, deep frying is nearly the same as sous vide, just substitute the water for oil and put the food in a bag. The only problem is finding a deep fryer that will go low enough. My euro-pro goes as low as 155F and did a great job in my first test... i suspect that if someone can find a fryer that will go down to 135F, it'd be absolutely perfect.
Regarding FoodSaver and them not supporting sous vide, I bought one of the Advanced Design models last week - in the box there was a DVD demonstration video with a lot of reference to using it for sous vide.
If you want to check out a home made sous vide system on the cheap take a look at my site....
http://coldsprings.typepad.com/food/2...
Seth
Grubhacker