ChiefsPlanet - View Single Post - Food and Drink Fire Me Boy! What's For Dinner? Thread

frozenchief · 04-05-2020, 12:21 AM

I love my sous vide and I cook a lot of things in my sous vide. So, tonight, I made steaks and corn on the cob.

Yes, you can cook corn on the cob in a sous vide. If you do it right, it is really rich. The temperature is 183, which is high for a sous vide, but I add a lot of butter and I salt the cobs before they go into the sous vide. They come out crunchy and yet really juicy and you don’t really need to butter them when they get out of the sous vide. One word of caution: add something to the bottom of the bag and maybe a heavy pot lid because as the corn heats up, it releases gasses, which can make the sous vide bag light and start to float, so the cob is not submerged.

And I cooked the steak sous vide. I cook mine a little higher than others, but I think it’s because of my sous vide unit. I have a PolyScience Chef unit, which I think holds its temperature better. I’ve seen pictures of people who cook their steaks at about 128 degrees, but with a different unit, and their steaks look more done than mine, which I cook at 131.5. Do what works in your own sous vide if you have one.

I really like The Spice House for spices and seasoning mixes, so, tonight I made a seasoning mix for my steak with:
Oxaca Coffee Ancho Chili Rub
Mesquite smoke powder
Celery Salt
Blue Cheese Powder (not so much for the blue cheese flavor as for the umami)

Smear steaks with anchovy paste and a little bit of soy sauce and then sprinkle with seasoning mix. Sous vide for an hour at 131.5. Finish by searing in red hot cast iron pan. Add a touch of lard and pat of butter and drizzle over one side of the steak before flipping. Sprinkle steak with Parmesan cheese and flip. Drizzle steak with pan drippings repeatedly before serving. I usually sear each side about 45 seconds or so.

For any sauce, I usually have a little remaining seasoning mix left over. So, making a basic sauce is like this:
Melt butter in a pan. Add onions or shallots unlit browned. Add grated fresh garlic until aromatic. Add remaining seasoning mix to absorb remaining butter. When mixture gets sticky and aromatic (about 30-45 seconds), add about 1/4-1/2 cup alcohol (wine or bourbon are my typical choices.)* Reduce until very thick. Add veal Demi-glacé, about ¾ - 1 cup. Whisk thoroughly and reduce briefly. Finish by adding ¼ cup or so of cream. Whisk thoroughly before service.

FMB and I had several discussions about sous vide and how to add umami to something in a sous vide. Every time I cook a steak this way, I think of him. So tonight, amidst my quarantine, I lift my glass to FMB. I hope he can enjoy my meal vicariously. I just wish I could hear his critique because he would undoubtedly have suggestions, comments, or alterations.

*If adding bourbon and cooking on a gas stove, pull pan OFF the stove before adding. Let it the bubbles die down before putting it on the stove. Tilt the pan and let it flame. Flames might be large initially, but they will die down.

04-05-2020, 12:21 AM	#14750
frozenchief Cynical Misanthrope frozenchief's Avatar Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Alaska	I love my sous vide and I cook a lot of things in my sous vide. So, tonight, I made steaks and corn on the cob. Yes, you can cook corn on the cob in a sous vide. If you do it right, it is really rich. The temperature is 183, which is high for a sous vide, but I add a lot of butter and I salt the cobs before they go into the sous vide. They come out crunchy and yet really juicy and you don’t really need to butter them when they get out of the sous vide. One word of caution: add something to the bottom of the bag and maybe a heavy pot lid because as the corn heats up, it releases gasses, which can make the sous vide bag light and start to float, so the cob is not submerged. And I cooked the steak sous vide. I cook mine a little higher than others, but I think it’s because of my sous vide unit. I have a PolyScience Chef unit, which I think holds its temperature better. I’ve seen pictures of people who cook their steaks at about 128 degrees, but with a different unit, and their steaks look more done than mine, which I cook at 131.5. Do what works in your own sous vide if you have one. I really like The Spice House for spices and seasoning mixes, so, tonight I made a seasoning mix for my steak with: Oxaca Coffee Ancho Chili Rub Mesquite smoke powder Celery Salt Blue Cheese Powder (not so much for the blue cheese flavor as for the umami) Smear steaks with anchovy paste and a little bit of soy sauce and then sprinkle with seasoning mix. Sous vide for an hour at 131.5. Finish by searing in red hot cast iron pan. Add a touch of lard and pat of butter and drizzle over one side of the steak before flipping. Sprinkle steak with Parmesan cheese and flip. Drizzle steak with pan drippings repeatedly before serving. I usually sear each side about 45 seconds or so. For any sauce, I usually have a little remaining seasoning mix left over. So, making a basic sauce is like this: Melt butter in a pan. Add onions or shallots unlit browned. Add grated fresh garlic until aromatic. Add remaining seasoning mix to absorb remaining butter. When mixture gets sticky and aromatic (about 30-45 seconds), add about 1/4-1/2 cup alcohol (wine or bourbon are my typical choices.)* Reduce until very thick. Add veal Demi-glacé, about ¾ - 1 cup. Whisk thoroughly and reduce briefly. Finish by adding ¼ cup or so of cream. Whisk thoroughly before service. FMB and I had several discussions about sous vide and how to add umami to something in a sous vide. Every time I cook a steak this way, I think of him. So tonight, amidst my quarantine, I lift my glass to FMB. I hope he can enjoy my meal vicariously. I just wish I could hear his critique because he would undoubtedly have suggestions, comments, or alterations. *If adding bourbon and cooking on a gas stove, pull pan OFF the stove before adding. Let it the bubbles die down before putting it on the stove. Tilt the pan and let it flame. Flames might be large initially, but they will die down.
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