Salt, Smoke, Sear: Seven Months of Sous Vide, Part 2

Sous vide usually ends up as one step of several. There are exceptions: salmon is a nice single step. Chicken breast for chicken salad needs no finishing. Chicken breast for the plate could use some searing. Much sous videry involves both pre and post work. Post is often quick, and sous vide in the middle usually removes worry about timings.

brine for goose and duck

Beef shortribs: my favourite method is to smoke them for a couple hours then sous vide for 48hrs @62C then finish under the broiler, either sauced or not. Turkey breast: an herb brine, then sous vide, then finish under the broiler. Poached eggs: sous vide then crack into simmering water for a quick dip.

Much of this is all very simple. Sometimes, like with the chili, it becomes part of more steps. Over the next 7 months I'll likely try some more complex dishes with it.

Sous Vide Seven Months In

I've had my sous vide setup since July. I use it frequently. It's been a good purchase so far. So what have I learned?

• Vegetables: why bother? I've done some veggies in it but more trouble than they are worth. There are quicker and better ways to cook vegetables.
• Meat: yes. Usually great results on everything from pork tenderloin to turkey breast to beef shortribs to ribeyes. Excellent use case, but...
• The time needs to match the cut: At 55C, 72 hours turns Beef shortribs into a tender steak-like consistency, but 24 hours can dry-aged rump into mush (7 hours probably would have been about right).
• Temperature! Well, duh. This is the reason for investing in something precise in the first place. But this means you get a fun science experiment every time you decide to cook some eggs. It means if you want to turn shortribs into filet mignon you cook them at 55C, but if you want to turn them into pull-off-the-bone ribs, 62C gives them a completely different texture.
• Fish: also great. Salmon is so easy, and quick, and perfectly cooked every time. And has even worked fine straight from the freezer.
• Vacuum packing is fun: This still hasn't gotten old. I might still have a 7-month old slice of bread somewhere. I will soon be sealing up an iPad and trying it in the shower.

How To Dress For -27F

Recently went skiing and at the start of the week it was shockingly cold. Before it warmed up and dumped a bunch of lovely fresh snow on us the second half of the week, we had to adjust to being outside in temps as low as -33C. That's properly cold.

What eventually worked for me:

• three layers of wool: long-sleeve tops, each outer layer progressively thicker, outer two layers with zip-up necks
• wool head covering under helmet
• stretchy sleeve covering neck, chin, mouth
• helmet with padded ear pieces and vents closed
• goggles
• another stretchy bandana thing covering face, nose, ears
• ski shell
• wool leggings
• ski trousers
• wool ski socks
• ski boots [duh]
• silk glove liners
• insulated lobster claw ski glove/mittens (thumb, forefinger, then mitten for remaining 3 fingers on each hand)

top half

That was still kind of cold. Normally when moving I have no problem warming up, but even at moderate speeds through -30C air will wick the heat right out of your extremities. Some lessons learned: 

• snow gets really slow and grippy when it's that cold
• cover up all the skin in the car before getting out
• wool is wonderful stuff
• that said, silk glove liners seem to outperform wool ones at identical thickness
• thicker ski socks do not necessarily mean warmer feet -- good blood flow is key; some people double up on socks and that seems like a bad idea to me
• ski instructors recommend boot heaters and chemical packs for the toes
• heated seats and the heated steering wheel in the rental car were brilliant