Comments on: Mercury Chef Chris Ward Goes Crazy For Sous Vide

By: Brandy

Brandy — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:08:57 +0000

oh … and thanks to Worzel too. (missed that!) may now have to look into all this further! how fun!

By: Brandy

Brandy — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:07:37 +0000

Laura and Anon- thanks! I’m encouraged. not likely to pounce any time soon… but encouraged.

By: william

william — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:39:29 +0000

There has been an approved HACCP program already extablished in New York and Chicago, it was through cuisine solutions. Bruno Goussault was the one that came up with the program and has been doing sous vide experiments for the last 40 years. With Duel master degrees in food science and microbiology. Open your mind and try it, it’s bigger and better than green giant.

By: Worzel Gummidge

Worzel Gummidge — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:35:18 +0000

To DGirl: That ain’t your Hyatt 90s boil-in-the-bag. The differences are really twofold: the bag is not used to store the food, just to cook it, and the temperature is low but constant.
To Brandy: Chicken breast takes an hour (at 141 degrees F). Steak 90 minutes (temperature alters doneness).

The press release is a good example of the essay you would write if you had a brief to explain only the adDvantages of sous vide. A balanced description would point out that many subtle effects of cooking are not possible with sous vide. For example, if I do steak I sear it after the sous vide process is finished for the ‘Maillard reaction’. Likewise sous vide can’t produce the effect of ‘cooking’ with acid (e.g. ceviche).

By: Anon

Anon — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:04:38 +0000

It’s hard to smell it if it’s in a vacuum sealed plastic bag

Seriously, its not hard to wait and the results speak for themselves. It just takes a little planning and once you get it going it takes care of itself.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:30:25 +0000

Absolutely love it. I experimented with salsify last week and did lamb three ways this week.

By: Brandy

Brandy — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:49:40 +0000

I’m all about slow food movement (I think) but waiting 24-48 hours for something to cook? I will definitely try it at Merc Grill but have ZERO interest at doing it for myself. Would you seriously smell the food in your kitchen for two days before you can eat it? I’d die. Surely my husband couldn’t be that patient either.

By: Seanna

Seanna — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:11:06 +0000

Love it but wonder, have we addressed the plastic safety issue or has that already been and gone?

By: Anon

Anon — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:08:09 +0000

I’ve worked at a couple of places that do sous vide and I do it at home with a basic setup. It’s fantastic. Its great for both long slow cooked items (confits, braise, etc) and even for quick cooked items like steaks. The cool thing is that the interior of the meat stays at one temperature, so instead of having what we call a “bulleye” effect on the meat (where the outside it well done, then med well, then medium..etc. all the way to the medium rare center) it’s perfectly cooked to the same color all the way through. It also allows you to cook things like “pot roasts” and “short ribs” to medium rare while still making them meltingly tender due to the extended cooking process (24-48 hours) since the lower temp needs more time to break down the collagen.

It’s fantastic–and a lot of the really high end places around the country and world have been doing it for years (think Bolud, Achatz, Trotter, Jean Jorges, Ducasse, Robuchon, among many others). Thomas Keller’s book is great but hardly revolutionary. Its a great summation of years of trial and error however and a very good book…but hardly accessible for most home cooks due to the equipment used.

It’s controversial in some circles due to perceived sanitation issues, but handled with care the risks are very small–probably no more risky than standard cooking or canning.

By: going crazy

going crazy — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:50:30 +0000

Sounds like the old Green Giant veggies to me

By: luniz

luniz — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:18:29 +0000

the post (release) explains pretty clearly what the technique is..

By: DGirl

DGirl — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:12:07 +0000

In the early 90s I worked for Hyatt Regency Dallas and corporate F&B introduced sous vide (we referred to it as boil in a bag) banquet meals. We were asked to keep it quiet so banquet customers wouldn’t think that they were getting frozen food. I don’t think the sous vide of today is quite the same as it was back then. Is it?