Raw Ingredient and Mise en Place Appreciation thread.

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by edmorel

mid three figures is not expensive, relative to other cooking accoutrements. Now I am going to have to do this sous vide crap

www.sousvidesupreme.com

Get the Supreme, not the smaller model. I have the Supreme and wish it was a little bigger.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by Manton

You are thinking of a la Ficielle, which is delicious, but totally different. (really, you use stock, not water). The former does look gray and awful; you have to serve it sliced other wise it looks like raw brains.

reminds me of one of my favorite recipe writers edouard de pomiane. here's his recipe for same:

BOEUF A LA FICELLE

To make this dish all you need is a piece of top rump steak weighing between 1 1/2 and 2 pounds, a large saucepan of well-salted water boiling on the fire and a piece of string.

Get the butcher to give you a piece of rump steak as nearly cube-shaped as possible and to tie it securely in shape.

Now fix a piece of string to the meat. Lift it up, and the meat swings slowly on its string like an incense burner. Look at your watch and take careful note of the time. Plunge the meat into the saucepan and tie the string to the handle in such a way that the meat is suspended in the water without touching the bottom. Put on the lid and wait. The water will have gone off the boil for a moment, but as the heat is intense it soon boils once more.

But, you will say, surely this is not the way to make a stew? You are quite right, but you are making boeuf a la ficelle. When you make a stew you want the meat to be edible whilst the gravy is rich and savory. For this reason you put the meat into cold water and raise the temperature very slowly so that after long, slow cooking the goodness is drawn out of the meat.

But now you are in a hurry and you want to prepare the meat so that it conserves all its juices. For this reason, you must seal it by plunging it straight into boiling, salted water. You must allow 15 minutes' cooking time for every pound of meat, so look at your watch carefully.

When the meat is almost ready, prepare a hot dish and some watercress and see that your salt mill is ready on the table. Lift the beef from the saucepan and remove the string. The meat is gray outside and not very appetising. At this moment, you may feel a little depressed. But don't worry. Take a very sharp knife and slice into the beef. Inside, it is rosy and tender and the gravy pours into your plate. No roast could be quite like this.

Give each of your guests a thick slice of meat, some watercress and a piece of French bread. A couple of turns with the salt mill and you are ready to eat.

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

www.sousvidesupreme.com

Get the Supreme, not the smaller model. I have the Supreme and wish it was a little bigger.

post a pics of the steaks and poultry post sous vide please

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by edmorel

post a pics of the steaks and poultry post sous vide please
Ed- it works very well for cooking meat and appearance is not a problem. Personally, for something like a steak, I prefer regular cooking because I like the gradient of textures you get in a pan or on a grill, but for simplicity and worry free perfect doneness nothing beats it. Also, for most stews it is ******* great. Pio cooks his ribs at too high a temp, IMO, but one of the nice things is that you get to choose what you want.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Ed- it works very well for cooking meat and appearance is not a problem. Personally, for something like a steak, I prefer regular cooking because I like the gradient of textures you get in a pan or on a grill, but for simplicity and worry free perfect doneness nothing beats it. Also, for most stews it is ******* great. Pio cooks his ribs at too high a temp, IMO, but one of the nice things is that you get to choose what you want.
but don't you agree that most people would be better advised to concentrating on mastering the basic techniques before getting into sous-vide. ed may be a great cook, for all i know (do question his theories on spaghetti), but just in general?

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by foodguy

but don't you agree that most people would be better advised to concentrating on mastering the basic techniques before getting into sous-vide. ed may be a great cook, for all i know (do question his theories on spaghetti), but just in general?
Yes. Of course.

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by edmorel

post a pics of the steaks and poultry post sous vide please


How about DIY for $75?
http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2010/02/d...-for-about-75/

I have also seen the setups where people use a relay and a crock pot but isn't there some need to have the liquid circulating? I suppose you could do an aquarium pump in the crock pot...but at that point the immersion heater+pump unit seems handy since you could attach it to anything.

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by foodguy

but don't you agree that most people would be better advised to concentrating on mastering the basic techniques before getting into sous-vide. ed may be a great cook, for all i know (do question his theories on spaghetti), but just in general?

I am not a great cook (ex-spaghetti) but I have been learning the basics and I have a decent kitchen set-up.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by otc

How about DIY for $75?
http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2010/02/d...-for-about-75/

I have also seen the setups where people use a relay and a crock pot but isn't there some need to have the liquid circulating? I suppose you could do an aquarium pump in the crock pot...but at that point the immersion heater+pump unit seems handy since you could attach it to anything.

there used to be a real diy movement until recirculators got so expensive on ebay. if you're curious, this is an interesting thread ... and you can actually see where nathan myhrvold first got interested in the subject (nathanm)

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by edmorel

post a pics of the steaks and poultry post sous vide please

Have posted pics of sous vide duck confit before. The only thing I can't make with this sous vide machine is negative space. Skin was nice and crispy via a 400 degree toaster over.

Matt, I tried the ribs at 140 or so (can't remember exact) and have gone for the braised texture. I'll have to taste what you've done one day.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by edmorel

yeah but I've seen some homemade setups, not that I would out that type of effort in. Was thinking more if I am someplace where they offer it, would typically not think to try it.

I really think you need to give sous vide a try. Judging by your posts I don't think you'd ever give poaching tenderloin a chance even though you wouldn't have the chance to notice the surface texture of the meat if you serve it traditionally.

But I know you'll love sous vide once you try it. Just make sure you try it at a good place that knows how to cook, because I've seen it fucked up when they try to sear the meat afterwards and cook the protein to utter oblivion.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

Have posted pics of sous vide duck confit before. The only thing I can't make with this sous vide machine is negative space. Skin was nice and crispy via a 400 degree toaster over.

Matt, I tried the ribs at 140 or so (can't remember exact) and have gone for the braised texture. I'll have to taste what you've done one day.
I'd rather eat at your house than the publican, and I think the publican is the ham fisted version of what you like to eat. Maybe you and matt should open a restaurant... you run the charcuterie/lounge/gastro pub that sells a bunch of ***** selections like duck/pork belly/braised everything/sous vide ribeye/and sausage while Matt is the judgmental self loathing chef in the small place upstairs for the fancy people. Manton will run FOH, judge everyone's tailored clothing and after service will tourne a bunch of vegetables in the hope that one day matt will approve and let him work in the kitchen, his true desire. You will also have the most well appointed bomb shelter of any restaurant in the country. In order to ensure that Matt doesn't lose his special spice for life, Manton will secretly ensure that only white between between the ages of 30-55 from the Bay Area are allowed to eat at the restaurant. Conne will be the one in the bar running up an absurd tab entirely on his credit card, ruining his personal finances but providing the steady cash flow that you guys would need for the crucial first couple of years of running your place. And artisan fan will be the crazy bearded asshole outside with some obnoxious sign.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by SField

I'd rather eat at your house than the publican, and I think the publican is the ham fisted version of what you like to eat.

Maybe you and matt should open a restaurant... you run the charcuterie/lounge/gastro pub that sells a bunch of ***** selections like duck/pork belly/braised everything/sous vide ribeye/and sausage while Matt is the judgmental self loathing chef in the small place upstairs for the fancy people.

Manton will run FOH, judge everyone's tailored clothing and after service will tourne a bunch of vegetables in the hope that one day matt will approve and let him work in the kitchen, his true desire.

And artisan fan will be the crazy bearded asshole outside with some obnoxious sign.

this is sounding suspiciously like chez panisse. of course, fran will have to get a partisan sex change.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by SField

I'd rather eat at your house than the publican, and I think the publican is the ham fisted version of what you like to eat.

Maybe you and matt should open a restaurant... you run the charcuterie/lounge/gastro pub that sells a bunch of ***** selections like duck/pork belly/braised everything/sous vide ribeye/and sausage while Matt is the judgmental self loathing chef in the small place upstairs for the fancy people.

Manton will run FOH, judge everyone's tailored clothing and after service will tourne a bunch of vegetables in the hope that one day matt will approve and let him work in the kitchen, his true desire. Your will also have the most well appointed bomb shelter of any restaurant in the country. In order to ensure that Matt doesn't lose his special spice for life, Manton will secretly ensure that only white between between the ages of 30-55 from the Bay Area are allowed to eat at the restaurant.

Conne will be the one in the bar running up an absurd tab entirely on his credit card, ruining his personal finances but providing the steady cash flow that you guys would need for the crucial first couple of years of running your place. And artisan fan will be the crazy bearded asshole outside with some obnoxious sign.

Funniest post you've ever made here. Also, eerily realistic.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by foodguy

this is sounding suspiciously like chez panisse. of course, fran will have to get a partisan sex change.

That's an awful thing to say about Matt. Matt isn't self satisfied and I strongly doubt that he has ever engaged the services of a pet psychologist.