Sous Vide Cooking

I can not recollect where I first heard of sous vide cooking. I think it might be from the TV show "Top Chef", or maybe from Wired magazine. It is definitely one of those new techniques that immediately draws in someone like me since it is the combination of cooking and science and requires the purchase of new equipment. But somehow I have been drawn to it and have just begun the experimentation required. This blog is the documentation of this exploration.

A good definition of "under vacuum" cooking is here. Although there is a book on Amazon for over $200, the best resource is the forum on eGullet with over 62 pages of discussion, technique, recipes, and resources. A few other really great web resources such as this link are a great start to understand the technique, safety requirements, and equipment necessary.

There are three essential pieces of equipment needed for sous vide cooking. The first piece is the vacuum sealer. Although there are restaurant grade sealers that are quite pricey, the consumer food saver product works just fine. The second piece of equipment is something that regulates the water temperature. This is sometimes combined with the third piece of equipment which is a heating vessel for the water bath. The more expensive restraunt solution is in the thousands of dollars, but for home use to start, a cheap crock pot or rice cooker as the vessel, and this solution does a great job for the temperature regulation. Pictured above is my setup. I went for the 30cup rice cooker and the PID control linked here. I am really happy with this equipment and the ability to hold the temperature constant and ease of use. So far we have tried salmon, beef and fruit. But you quickly realize this is a long term experiment to find the perfect technique.

The taste is like no other; a buttery custard like texture. This blog will document the meet, temperature, time and results. So there is really only one question. Will it Sous Vide?