Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Sous Vide Food Preparation Method Is Getting To Be Stylish Once More

By Morris Pelphner


Sous vide is a fascinating cooking method originally developed way back to 1799 that is getting a great deal of recognition nowadays from chefs of all calibers. In this method, rather than cooking food in a pot, pan, or oven, the ingredients are rather inserted directly into durable plastic bags and immersed in hot water for numerous time periods, based on the meal. The thought driving this preparation is that the food, specifically proteins like chicken that are prone to drying out, remain moist and flavorful and maintain nutrients they would usually lose with water-based food preparation.

Along with preserving far more nutrients and flavors in, cooking aromatic ingredients like herbs, oils and garlic with all the protein gets the extra advantage of infusing these flavors in the whole dish at once. Much like vacuum-marinating steak in tasty seasonings and juices, removing the oxygen from the bag before sealing and cooking allows the flavors to co-mingle a lot more they normally would.

Although steaming or boiling may also work with the effectiveness of warm water to cook meals rapidly and having an eye towards health, all the difference offered by poaching is distinctly apparent. To express the thought, merely consider the taste of a robust, rubbery hard boiled egg when compared to the velvety finish of a poached one. Both approaches use the exact egg for their protein, and also water immersion for a cooking medium, still the results are very different.

In accordance with this example, the plastic pouch functions like the vinegar or plastic cup utilized in the poaching procedure, providing a barrier so the water's temperature cooks the food without entering it. This gets rid of unhealthy and "heavy" tasting oil through the food preparation procedure, as well as allowing subtle foods, such as avocados, to be water-heated without drying out or dissolving their flesh.

Interpreted from the French, the term means "with vacuum", as another popular part of this cooking technique is to cut out the oxygen in the bag right before setting it in the water to cook. As this ensures the heat penetrates the meal more efficiently, this also holds back microorganisms along with food-spoiling germs from growing within the food even without oxygen, particularly if the temperature of the dish is dropped soon after cooking.

Normally, once the prepared meals are slated for catering or meal delivery, they shall be prepared, taken off from the water submersion and immediately chilled within their vacuumed bags to guarantee the food's integrity and safety. This not only eases organized storage of numerous meals in the same refrigerator or freezer. It makes re-heating the bag contents for serving a quick, easy procedure. Rather than having to freeze out and defrost a sizable tray or container of the prepared food, it is accessible already proportioned for individual meals.

Once a grand reserved for only the most expensive kitchens and labs, current enhancements in home sous vide equipments enable scaled-down catering companies and firms to present this specific service also. These reduced counter-top machines frequently have built in thermometers for correct temperature management, plus a circulation pump that makes the water going for extensive heat circulation.

Although they do not keep the same volume as their large, industrial cousins, they are an ideal fit and carry a considerably more reasonable price tag for culinary chefs and meal delivery services that need specific control yet not quite a lot of volume for their meal preparation. Almost all chefs applying this method to create meals will likely add a vacuum sealing machine to their kitchen to have uniform results in their recipes.

While this application's most intuitive usage seems to be for meat, a lot of those wondering about the method are stunned to discover that proteins like beef, pork, as well as chicken are only a small fraction of the possible dishes open to the innovative chief cook. Fish, a fragile ingredient often wrecked by overcooking, benefits from the controlled temperature of the water, emerging a palatable delight through the water bath.

Even breakfast gets to be a more tasty adventure, with scrambled eggs taking on an even custard-like wrap up that gives off rubbery cafeteria-style eggs out of the proverbial water. When it comes time to enhance such prepared meals, familiar desserts like key lime pie handle a completely unique dimension when prepared with the precision that solely this phenomenal cooking technique can offer.

No matter what is on the food selection, cooking it sous vide fashion signifies that even the most typical meal is elevated to some taste experience that will get even finicky people hooked.




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