Sous Vide cooking. The term is becoming more and more familiar with people nowadays, thanks to Thomas Keller and cooking related reality TV. In order to really understand what it is, you have to try food cooked Sous Vide. Another option is to continue reading, and I'll do my best to describe it.
A great cut of grass fed beef. A super fresh filet of Wild Salmon. Carrots pulled from the ground. What I'm talking about is awesome ingredients. If you have awesome ingredients, you're already moving in the right direction. Using conventional cooking, you would probably grill or sear the Beef, ditto with the Salmon, and maybe roast or blanch the carrots. If cooked properly, you would have some really tasty results.
Sous Vide means to cook "under vacuum". Meat, fish, or vegetable is placed into a heat-proof plastic bag, seasoned, sealed and dropped into a controlled temperature water bath. Doesn't sound too appetizing, does it?
Step back and think about the cooking methods. When you are searing or grilling something, liquid is seeping out of whatever it is you are cooking. Juices, fats, and most importantly, flavor, is evaporated in seconds.
With Sous Vide cooking, a protein or vegetable is being cooked in its own juices and fats. The potential for perfection is most definitely within reach. However the potential for disaster is also dangerously close.
Beef Short Ribs cooked at 135F for 48 hours. Fresh Salmon cooked at 55C for 15 minutes. Sounds fairly simple, doesn't it? Keeping a water bath at a controlled and consistent temperature is much harder than it seems. When you place something in a hot pan or a pot of hot water, the temperature drops considerably. The industry standard for Sous Vide is to use a laboratory piece of equipment called an "Immersion Circulator" to efficiently control the circulation and temperature of a bin full of water. Most chefs use the PolyScience brand of Immersion Circulators, which retail for about $1000.
The other major piece of equipment needed for Sous Vide is a vacuum sealer. There are a number of different types of them out on the market. The "Chamber Vacuum" sealer is at the top of the hill. While reliable and very fast, they also retail at $2000-$4000.
Many small restaurants and home cooks find using a $100-$300 FoodSaver vacuum sealer is much more affordable. There is not much wiggle room on the Immersion Circulator. So, before you can even get up and running with Sous Vide, you are looking at roughly a $1000 to $5000 investment. Definitely not chump change. Worth it? For small restaurants, I think so.
My introduction to Sous Vide cooking took place just over a year ago. I had heard the term and read quite a bit about it, but never experience it firsthand. Last year at Greystone, during the class I took on Advanced Mediterranean Cuisine, Chef Patrick Clark was cooking a big batch of beef short ribs Sous Vide. After a few questions, I was hooked and wanted to know more.
The next day, I went to Bouchon in Yountville, one of Chef Thomas Keller's restaurants. After some great food, I persuaded the bartender to bring me back into the kitchen to have a glimpse. They were in the middle of renovations, and their kitchen was about 1/3 of its normal size. Chef de cuisine Philip Tessier explained that due to the space limitations, almost everything on the menu was prepared Sous Vide ahead of time, then shocked in an ice water bath, and reheated to order. The kitchen contained multiple large bins of water with immersion circulators doing their magic. There was a small 4 burner range and oven, which Chef Tessier said they used "sparingly". After leaving Bouchon, I was more than intrigued. I read everything I could on the subject, and drooled over the expensive equipment on-line.
So this past February, I attended the first Sous Vide course taught at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus in Napa Valley, CA. The class consisted of roughly sixteen students, all experienced chefs. While we were all familiar with the concept of Sous Vide cooking, we all were there to see how the method could improve the food we serve in our workplace(s).
The previously mentioned Chef Patrick Clark was our instructor. Chef Clark has been working with Sous Vide for a number of years, and said the coursebook took him two years to compile. The course took place in The Williams Center for Flavor Discovery, a small building near the entrance of the Greystone campus. Beautiful white tile walls, and stainless steel appliances, vaguely reminiscent of the kitchen at the French Laundry. Upon seeing the kitchen for the first time, I realized I was wearing a huge grin. Trying not to look foolish, I composed myself and looked around to see that almost every other chef had the same grin on their face. We were all psyched and ready to dive in.
Every day of the five day course, we were assigned to four teams. At around 8 AM two teams were assigned the same four or five recipes to complete. At times we would prepare a dish using conventional methods, such as searing or broiling, to see the contrast in flavor and texture when compared to the same dish cooked Sous Vide. We made numerous dishes during the week, most notably Salmon, Beef Short Ribs, Veal Shanks, Halibut, and Black Bass. It was amazing to see the real difference between the color, texture and flavor of the food prepared Sous Vide.
Upon returning to Maine, I wanted to dive in and purchase the proper equipment. I purchased a $130 FoodSaver vacuum sealer, much cheaper than the $3000 chamber vacuum unit I used at CIA. There's no way I can afford an Immersion Circulator right now, so I had to improvise. A large pot of hot water, a candy thermometer, and a wooden spoon. Not the ideal setup, but I was planning on cooking seafood, which cooks fairly quickly. Off to my parent's place to cook a meal for both of them and my Aunt.
For the menu I decided on Wild Scottish Salmon, local Maine Halibut and local Maine Diver Scallops. I made a 15% salt water brine (estimated), and brined each for about 10 minutes. The reason for the brine is to prevent the flesh from exuding juices or fats, along with adding proper seasoning. In the salmon brine, I added a bit of Zhug, a Middle Eastern spice blend. A bit of olive oil and into the bag it went. For the Halibut, I placed it in the bag with a bit of white pepper and Black Truffle Oil. For the scallops, I browned some butter and added some vanilla bean, and poured it into the bag with the scallops.
Each sealed bag went "into the pool" which was stirred frequently to maintain a temperature of 55-60°C (130-140 °F), for about 40 minutes. I checked the internal temperature of each item after this time, and all were at just under 60 °C. The salmon and halibut were served right out of the bag, but I wanted to quickly sear the scallops, to add that nice caramelized crust that everyone loves.
Everything came out great, and there were oohs and yums being uttered at the table. I was happy with being able to share what I learned from my Sous Vide class with my family, and they all made it clear that I could "experiment" on them anytime.
