So now that you have decided to try out the Sous vide technique, or vacuum cooking style, let us help you out by giving you some ideas on how you can make the process easier and safer and make even simple food taste great! Ready? Read on…
1. Always have a blowtorch:
Since the food is will be cooked in the absence of air, you meat, that you cook via this method will look like a great and brown blob. Not the way a scrumptious piece of meat looks. So keep a blow torch handy as it will help solve that problem. There are several ones available in the market to suit different needs and budgets.
2. Get rid of the moisture:
Use a few paper towels to dry out your meat before you use the blow torch or cook it. This helps you get a rich, deep, brown look on your meat and also helps you cook your meat faster via vacuum cooking.
3. A wire rack along with a baking sheet:
You will need a safe surface on which you can torch your meat. So place a wire rack on a baking sheet of a good quality that can withstand heat and you are good to go.
4. Use a cast iron pan:
If you are not comfortable with a blow torch, grease a cast iron pan and brown your meat on it. Ensure that the temperature is high, so that you get the desired colour without cooking it.
5. Temperature and time chart:
You wouldn’t know how long you must cook different types of food and at what temperatures if you’re new to vacuum cooking. The good news is that you can easily get the information on the internet and you must save it or take a print out and stick it on your fridge so that you don’t have to worry about these things.
6. Packaging machine:
These machines are easily available in the markets today and are a foolproof way to ensure that you pack your food safely, in polyethylene bags in the absence of air. One advice is that you ensure that there is some space on the top of the bag so the the packaging machine can properly seal it. The Italian brand Minipack-Torre produces the best packaging machines in the market.
7. Large tongs:
Last but not the least, you must have comfortable, large and good quality tongs that will help you get your air-tight pack safely out of the hot water bath.
