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1:44 pm
2nd Grader
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Fri 22-Jan-10
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Hey everyone,
I just wanted to know if anyone has tried this "sous vide" (literally, under vacuum) method of cooking?
I was talking to a friend recently and he's all about this method - he says it cooks THE most stunning steak for example. Would love to hear if anyone has tried it.
Jules
4:19 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Not heard of that, the nearest I have ever got to that is trying to extract something in a chemistry lab many years ago and I am sure that is nothing like it. It does sound interesting though
9:20 pm
Knowledegable
Mon 21-Sep-09
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I have seen it on the tv programme where top chef cook for returning service men etc and banquets ... There was on chef who pretty much cooked everything in a vacuum bag in a water bathroom. I think his name was Sach or something like that.
Am going to have to find out who it is now so I can link
9:26 pm
Knowledegable
Mon 21-Sep-09
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5:59 am
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Wikipedia also explains the Sous vide method.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide
Must admit I would be concerned about the risk of food poisoning with it 
but I can understand how it could be gentler on the finished product
This website might help though
http://amath.colorado.edu/~baldwind/sous-vide.html it deals with all the nasty bug issues and gives a run down of how it all works
9:37 am
Expert
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Sun 17-Jan-10
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I saw a chef on The Hairy Bikers cook a pork fillet that way. Or in a version of that way.
He wrapped the fillet tightly in several layers of cling film, poached it in simmering water for around 10-15 minutes and then roasted it in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes. After he'd taken the clingfilm off.
I've been meaning to give it a go, as the end result looked really good, but haven't got round to it.
1:58 pm
2nd Grader
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Fri 22-Jan-10
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Thanks for the tips.
JoannaS - I would also be worried about the food poisining as apparently the temperature you need to cook at is the cusp between bacteria multiplying and bacteria being killed or something! It's all very scientific.
Anyhow, I think my boyfriend and I are going to give it a go this weekend - steaks! I'll let you all know how they turn out. We're also making a frangipane - ohhh I LOVE it, but it's got to be the most fattening thing in the world - at least it has fruit in it!
Shereen - I've seen people poach eggs with cling film. You lay out cling film on a ramekin and you can add salt and pepper or any other spices/flavourings you wish, then crack the egg into the cling filmed ramekin. You then wrap it into a tight parcel and put that into the boiling water for a few minutes (not sure of exact times) and you end up with a lovely poached egg without all the white going everywhere. Quite jolly as I always seem to mess up my poached eggs! It's also great if you want to do several at a time...
J.
6:29 am
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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I found out when we had chickens that if the egg is fresh then the egg white does not go anywhere, an absolute pain for fried eggs but great for poaching.
10:21 am
Supreme Being
Thu 24-Sep-09
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Thanks Joanna. You helped me decide what to have for my late breakfast. I have just finished a wonderfully fresh poached egg (from one of my hens that lay blue eggs) on a little brown roll. Delicious!!!
Old teachers never die, they just lose their class
1:48 pm
Knowledegable
Wed 23-Sep-09
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Jules said:
Shereen - I've seen people poach eggs with cling film. You lay out cling film on a ramekin and you can add salt and pepper or any other spices/flavourings you wish, then crack the egg into the cling filmed ramekin. You then wrap it into a tight parcel and put that into the boiling water for a few minutes (not sure of exact times) and you end up with a lovely poached egg without all the white going everywhere. Quite jolly as I always seem to mess up my poached eggs! It's also great if you want to do several at a time...
J.
When I tried that a few weeks ago, the eggs stuck to the clingfilm and were a total mess 🙁 Are you supposed to oil the clingfilm first? Or maybe it depends how fresh the eggs are (not very, in this particular case).
7:46 am
Councillor
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Sun 7-Mar-10
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Things have come on a lot since this thread was opened five years ago. Lots of TV chefs cook this way.
I have wanted to do it for a long time but the costs have been very prohibitive with water baths costing up from £170 to near £1000 with the average being around £300.
Anyway in my investigations I have found this little device on ebay. It 'converts' a normal slow cooker in to a sous vide water bath. It uses a thermocouple (clever electronic thermometer
) to monitor the water temp, and has a temp controlled switch to turn the slow cooker on and off to maintain the temp.
All very clever and only costs £70 + p&p
A well fed rat is a HappyRat 
A smile a day keeps the psychiatrist away.
7:48 am
Councillor
New members
Sun 7-Mar-10
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veronica said
Jules said:
Shereen - I've seen people poach eggs with cling film. You lay out cling film on a ramekin and you can add salt and pepper or any other spices/flavourings you wish, then crack the egg into the cling filmed ramekin. You then wrap it into a tight parcel and put that into the boiling water for a few minutes (not sure of exact times) and you end up with a lovely poached egg without all the white going everywhere. Quite jolly as I always seem to mess up my poached eggs! It's also great if you want to do several at a time...J.
When I tried that a few weeks ago, the eggs stuck to the clingfilm and were a total mess
Are you supposed to oil the clingfilm first? Or maybe it depends how fresh the eggs are (not very, in this particular case).
Lakeland Poaching Bags That is all
A well fed rat is a HappyRat A smile a day keeps the psychiatrist away.
9:08 pm
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Simon - hi, haven't seen you for ages! 
Do you think a slow cooker would work the same way .... ?
(Probably a stupid question, but surely that should maintain an even temperature, too or maybe it is too high a temperature???)
7:19 pm
Councillor
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Sun 7-Mar-10
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brightspark said
Simon - hi, haven't seen you for ages!Do you think a slow cooker would work the same way .... ?
(Probably a stupid question, but surely that should maintain an even temperature, too or maybe it is too high a temperature???)
Hi.
Still lurking but only tend to post when I have something to say lol
On its own the slow cooker temp is too high, but using this device there is no reason why it shouldn't work.
The device has a temperature probe that sits in the water. The controller switches the slow cooker on until it reaches the selected temp. 40, 55, 60 etc then it switches the slow cooker off until the temp falls below the selected temp.
Basically it is a smart temp controller.
A well fed rat is a HappyRat A smile a day keeps the psychiatrist away.
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