Ever wondered how chefs of high-end restaurants can get steaks perfectly done as ordered and your steaks always turn out tough and overdone? They have something you don't: a sous vide.
Sous vide is a French phrase meaning "under vacuum," which only describes a portion of this particular cooking technique. A chef can vacuum seal food and place it in a water bath that is controlled to a precise temperature and circulated by a sous vide.
Up until recently, this precise technique was primarily reserved for commercial kitchens. But now smaller and less expensive versions are available on the market and appearing in more and more home kitchens.
Sous vide immersion circulators are starting to mean convenience and perfectly cooked meals. But how are they used and how do you get to that legendary perfectly cooked steak? Learn the basics of cooking sous vide below.
Sous vide cooking salmon | Source
Why Sous Vide is So Popular
Sous vide is becoming popular really quickly. So, what's the big deal? You won't be asking that after the first bite of perfectly cooked steak you take.
In the meantime, here's the unique ways that this technique makes cooking way better:
Automated Cooking
You can do anything you want while your food cooks. No human supervision needed.
The Anova precision cooker below has Bluetooth capability so you can set the temperature and timer via your phone from anywhere. Start dinner before you leave the office.
Cooked Evenly to the Perfect Temperature
Sous vide really makes cooking dummy proof. There is no chance the food will be under or over cooked. Expect perfection every time.
Also, meat that is cooked with sous vide is even all the way through. There is no uneven doneness as with other cooking methods.
Retains Moisture
The bag is sealed in the water bath so your food gets the juices locked in that are usually released during grilling, smoking, or frying. This makes a huge difference to the flavor and texture. Steaks are perfection and chicken is always juicy and tender.
The Sous Vide Process
So how do we do use this immersion circulator to sous vide dinner? After you get the set up going it makes dinner really easy.
Set Up the Water Bath
You need a sous vide precision cooker (like the one above) and a container full of water. Turn on the cooker to the right temperature for the food you want to cook. Search sous vide recipes to find out the temperature and cook time for your dish.
Prepare the Meat or Vegetables
Take the cut of meat or the veggies you are cooking and add spices. Salt, pepper and a bit of garlic is likely all you need if you want to let the perfect doneness of the food shine. Butter and oil are not needed but can add a great flavor.
Seal in a Bag
Add the food to a Ziploc or a vaccum seal bag. You do not need a vacuum sealing machine in order to use a sous vide but it can make the process a little easier. A Ziploc works just fine as long as you take care to evacuate all the air. The water displacement technique makes this pretty easy.
Add to the Water Bath
Throw the sealed bag into the water bath once it is pre-heated. Then go a live your life (or make the rest of dinner) while your food cooks. Most immersion circulators have a phone app that will alert you when your food is ready.
Finish the Meat
This last step is purely optional. The sous vide method is perfect for getting perfectly cooked meat every time but that means that the meat's outside looks dull and unfinished. There is usually a final step in the sous video cooking process to "finish" the meat. This means throwing it in a skillet or on the grill for just a brief duration to get a good sear on the outside. Then it is ready to plate and serve!
Sous vide steak at varying temperatures | Source
Foods to Sous Vide
Once you experience the convenience and amazing results of a sous vide you just might go through a phase where you try to cook everything this way. Most foods that can cook in a bag and have a cooking temperature below the boiling point of water can be cooked with one of these precision machines.
You are at the supermarket, grocery store, or health food store and you are picking you favorite meat for the next few days. How do you know if you've gotten the freshest, best available?
This can be a tough shopping experience. Many of the items you chose are prepackaged and that packaging (even the lighting) can throw you off and cause you to make a less than palatable purchase.
Also, how do you know if that "brown" meat is really bad? If it was why would the butcher be allowed to sell it? What about fish; how can you tell if it's fresh or many days old? And what about shrimp, crab, and mussels?
This article will discuss the many types of meat (beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish, shell-fish, and bivalves) and how to select each type for best taste and nutritional value.
Beef Cuts
Great chart. Not only shows most cuts of beef, but the legend has a recommended cooking method.
Beef
Beef is defined as any meat that comes from domesticated cows.
Beef should be red in color (ideally) and have a slim layer of fat around the outside (depending on the cut) and slight marbling (thin strips of fat running through the meat).
There are many cuts of beef. The most tender being the loin and the toughest typically called the flank or skirt. With proper cooking this is no such thing as a bad cut of beef. The most tender cuts simply mean that the beef remains tender with short cooking times. "Bad" beef is meat that takes longer to cook to reach the same level of tenderness.
Lately there has been a lot of talk about the superior taste of grass fed beef over grain fed. This is very likely true. After all, a cow did not roam the plains in prehistory eating out of buckets filled with oats. No, they are ruminants and they are designed (by G_d or nature; your choice) to eat grass.
Chart
The "best" cuts are near the rump, tenderloin being the "best." Cuts near the legs and belly are considered the "worst."
Chart Cuts
Looking at the chart at the right you'll notice that the best cuts are just forward of the rump. This includes the tenderloin (light pink), sirloin (darker pink above tenderloin), and top sirloin (just below the tenderloin (darker pink below tenderloin). From there the short-loin, rib, and round (green, beige, and blue). Then chuck and brisket (yellow and light blue). Followed by the flank and plate (AKA skirt) which are light brown and violet followed finally by the shanks (dark brown).
Picking the Best Beef
Beef should be bright red to red in color. Have a thin layer of fat around it and be marbled slightly with thin layers of fat. Any brown areas on the beef should be viewed with suspicion though it is highly likely that brown beef isn't old; just improperly stored.
In the modern grocery spotting perfect beef can be a challenge. Lighting in at the meat counter is purposely shifted toward the red to make it look more inviting. Grocery chains also like to put bright green fake grass nearby simply to make the reds even redder.
Also, because most meat is now packaged in foam trays with clear plastic covering it's impossible to really feel the meat or look at all sides of it. This is where trust in your grocer is really important. If you get a cut home and realize it isn't what you wanted or is not as advertised take it back. It's your money and you should get what you pay for.
Despite all of the advances made in the meat industry toward better tenderizing and the "perfect cut" a tough steak will occasionally get through the process and make it to your kitchen. Again, take it back if it's not up to your standards.
You could also buy directly from the butcher counter. At least this way you get a better look at what you are buying, but even then there's no assurance that you are getting the great cut that it looks like. Once again take it back if it's not up to your standards.
Hand Test
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Cooking...Hand Test
There are four levels of "done-ness" with steak. These are rare, medium rare, medium, and well done. The best way to tell if your beef has reached one of these stages is by touch. If rare you should be able to press on the meat and feel a particular amount of give. The more well done the less give.
To replicate these use your right or left hand and press on the pad below your thumb with the other finger. If you touch your index finger with your thumb and then press on the pad of the palm that would be the same feel as rare.
Touch your thumb to your middle finger and the pad on your palm represents medium-rare. (see photo above)
Touch your ring finger with your thumb and the resistance on the pad is what medium should feel like.
Finally, touch the little finger with your thumb and the pad below your thumb at the palm would represent well-done.
Storing, Thawing, and Cooking Beef
Frozen: If you are buying frozen beef let it thaw in your refrigerator for twenty-four (24) hours before putting it on the counter to thaw completely. This will prevent ice crystals from damaging the meat. If you thaw too fast you can actually damage the connective tissue in the cut. Of course if this is what you want to do, then by all means do a rapid thaw.
To achieve a rapid thaw put your packaged beef in a tub of cold (not hot or warm) water. Check often. You do not want it to sit at room temperature unless you are ready to cook.
You should always cook your beef starting from room temperature.
Desired Temperature: These days the Department of Agriculture recommends cooking to 160º F. I think this is overkill and you certainly won't get a rare or even medium rare steak that way. Shoot for 140º F. This is the same temperature pork should be cooked to.
If you use an oven thermometer make sure the probe is directly in the middle (from top to bottom / side to side) of the cut. If you are shooting for 160º, set the probe to 158º. You'll always gain another two degrees after the meat is removed from the heat. This is due to the effect of stored heat and the need to "rest" the beef.
Rest: Any time you cook beef (or pork or lamb, etc.) you should let the meat "rest" after taking it away from the heat source. Cooking causes any fluids in the meat to rise to the surface. Letting that steak "rest" for five to ten minutes will allow those liquids to be reabsorbed by the meat and this makes for a much more tender & flavorful meal.
Marinade: A marinade does not actually tenderize the meat; instead it expands the distance between the muscle fibers giving the impression of a tenderized cut. It also helps your meat retain more moisture during cooking. Both of these are good things.
Cutting and Serving: Cutting against the grain of the meat will give the impression of a much more tender cut. For example flank and skirt steak have a very noticeable "bias" in the meat fibers. If you slice these two cuts such that you cut across the fibers you'll have a much more tender, easy to chew, cut.
Serve the meat as soon as possible after the rest period.
Brown Beef: How do grocers get away with selling "brown" ground beef or brown spotted steaks at the meat counter? Simple; it's not spoiled.
Granted spoiled beef will look brown, but so will raw beef that has been placed under too much pressure when packaged or stored. Use this to your advantage. Ask for a discount!
Pork Charts
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Everything but the squeal.
Pork
Pork is any meat that comes from the domesticated pig. In this country (the United States) it is acceptable to use meat from every area of the pig including the head. This is not so with beef.
Pork should be pink or near white in color (ideally) and have a slim layer of fat around the outside (depending on the cut). There is not describable marbling.
There are many different cuts of pork though not nearly as many as for beef. The most tender being the loin and the toughest typically called the side. As with beef with proper cooking there is no bad cut of pork; only improper cooking. The most tender cuts simply mean that the meat remains tender with short cooking times. "Tough" pork is a cut that takes longer to cook to reach the same amount of tenderness.
Generally speaking, pork is only slightly less tender than chicken when properly cooked.
Despite advertising claims of "the other white meat" pork is officially a red meat like beef.
Ham and Pork Servinigs
Ham Hock
Pork Chops
Storing, Thawing, and Cooking Pork
Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.
Frozen: The same rules that apply to beef apply to pork. To thaw let it sit in your refrigerator for twenty-four (24) hours before putting it on the counter to thaw completely. This will prevent the rapid formation of ice crystals from ruining the meat.
You should always cook your meat from room temperature.
Desired Temperature: These days the Department of Agriculture recommends cooking to 140º F. You certainly won't get a rare or even medium rare cut that way, but you don't want to with pork. Shoot for 138º F.
As with beef, make sure the thermometer probe is directly in the middle (from top to bottom / side to side) of the cut. If you are shooting for 140º, set the probe to 138º. The meat will continue to cook for a few minutes after removal from the oven, pan, or grill.
Rest: Let the meat rest for five to ten minutes to halt the cooking process and allow the juices to return to the fibers of the meat.
Marinade: A marinade is even more important with pork since it is more completely cooked than beef.
Cutting and Serving: As with beef cutting against the grain of the meat will give the impression of a much more tender cut.
Serve the meat as soon as possible after the rest period.
"Best" Pork Marinade
1 Cup Cool Strong Coffee
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 ounces molasses by weight
6 to 8 sprigs thyme
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cloves garlic or 2 teaspoons crushed
8 ounces of pork
Pork Marinade. Marinades do not tenderize meat. They DO cause fluids to move into the spaces between the muscle fibers making the meat seem tender. Place in "zipper seal" plastic bag and remove all the air. Marinade for at least two hours.
Lamb Cuts
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Lamb Chart
Lamb, Hogget, and Mutton
Lamb is the meat of domesticated sheep. By definition meat from sheep a year or younger is lamb; older than one year with two sets of incisors and it's hogget. More than two incisors and it is mutton. Here in the United States we rarely hear the terms "hogget" or "mutton."
Typically sheep meat darkens and reddens with age. For that reason Lamb will be pink in color and hogget & mutton a darker pinkish red. Hogget and Mutton have much stronger flavors that Lamb. This has to do with maturation and a higher concentration of fatty acids.
Because Lamb is somewhat foreign fare in the United States it is rarer and thus more expensive per pound than beef, pork, chicken, and most fish.
This may be partially due to it's strong flavors as well.
As a single person, I needed to find the best one-person slow cooker. While many people will tell you to purchase the biggest slow cooker you can get your hands on, you'll quickly discover that they're not cooking for just one person and don't understand the challenges of cooking for one.
The factors you should consider in a one-person slow cooker are:
Size
Budget
Shape
Features
I believe the best slow cooker for one person is a 3.5-liter slow cooker that has the following features:
Oval shape
On/off light
Well-known brand
One step up from the entry-level slow cooker
As a single person living alone in a fairly small space, I've carefully evaluated what I believe single people should consider when buying their first slow cooker. See how I came to this conclusion below!
What Is the Best Size for a One-Person Slow Cooker?
The two basic questions you need to answer to determine the optimal slow cooker size for are:
Do you have a freezer?
If you do, is it large?
If you have a freezer, you can start looking at larger slow cooker options because you can preserve meals in single portions to eat over the span of a few months. If you don't have a freezer, your options are limited because you have to eat what you cook within 3-4 days of the day a dish is made.
In the United States, slow cooker sizes are often measured in quarts. In the UK, they are measured in liters. The terms "quarts" and "liters" when comparing slow cooker sizes are almost interchangeable because they're so similar in size.
Quart to Liter Conversions
1 quart = 1.1 liters
1 quart = 2 pints
1 litre = 1.75 pints
1.5 quarts = 1.7 liters
The Best Slow Cooker for Someone Without A Freezer
If you don't have a freezer, the best slow cooker size has to be a 1.5-quart vessel. This size will provide food for 2-3 meals, depending on how large you like your portions. While you can make smaller food portions that fit in your fridge, you may need to adjust some ingredient quantities, especially with canned goods. You could find that an adjusted recipe leaves you with several half-used cans of tomatoes, soup, or vegetables that you need to work into other dishes before they go bad!
Having to rework recipes and use up canned food was the main reason I waited to get another slow cooker after I bought a freezer. Life becomes easier if you have one, but even then a single person may have to share a freezer or only have a small one. It's unlikely you'd have unlimited freezer space and an extra chest freezer in the garage!
The Best Slow Cooker for Someone With A Freezer
For the stated reasons, I believe the best slow cooker for one person is a 3.5-liter slow cooker. This size allows for the most flexibility, and you have more choices because this specific size opens up the slow cookers options on the market.
With a 3.5 liter slow cooker, you can make a strategic four-portion meal. You have one to eat, one to stash in the fridge for later, and two to pop into the freezer. A slow cooker this size enables you to feed any visitors that may come round. Even if you host a dinner once every two years, you'll know you can make enough food to feed 3-4 people. It's meal planning made easy!
Source
Budget and Features
After you've determined the slow cooker size you should get for your needs, the next factors to consider are budget and features. If this is your first slow cooker, you don't want to drop a lot of money or choose an over-complicated machine, at least not until you've nailed the basics. I figured it was a good idea to stick with popular brands and to buy a slow cooker that was one level up from an entry level slow cooker. This gave me a fixed budget to use.
What's essential in a slow cooker?
Shape
Power and wattage
On/off light
Auto and warm features
I'll share my thoughts on each feature below.
Slow Cooker Shape
Slow cookers come in two basic shapes:
Round
Oval
The advantage of an oval slow cooker is that you can roast a whole joint. To be honest, I think this ability falls mostly into the family meal, not the single person's meal. At the same time, I did want to be able to cook oblong-shaped dishes! I concluded that an oval cooker would give me the most flexibility and went this route.
Round slow cookers are also useful! You can make cakes in a slow cooker, and it's easier to see if the entire cake is cooked while preventing the outside edges from burning. However, you can also do this in an oval slow cooker by placing the batter in a round cake tin to put inside the slow cooker!
Whatever size or shape slow cooker you choose, you can work with different dishes to cook two things at the same time or cook something in a particular shape.
Power and Wattage
I didn't consider the wattage as a major deciding factor. Slow cookers use about 160-250 watts compared to an oven's 2000-3000 watts. Typically, a 3.5-liter slow cooker will be 200 watts. It doesn't operate at this temperature all the time. It'll use 200 watts when set to high heat until it reaches the right temperature. After that, it just turns on or off to maintain the food temperature. If you're using your slow cooker on low, then it'll use even less.
With a slow cooker, you are only heating the one pot, which is why it uses less energy overall to operate. It's effectively a "heated simmering saucepan or casserole dish". As a single person, you can see how using a slow cooker has its benefits over running an entire oven for 1-2 hours to cook a casserole. You can save even more money if you use meat because you can use cheaper cuts for casseroles and stews. The long cooking process in a slow cooker enables the meat to break down and become tender.
On/Off Light
I decided an on/off light was an essential feature. If you're in a fixed routine and you fill your slow cooker and turn it on and off whenever you want, that's great. However, when you have a thousand other things to do, an on/off indicator is useful because:
If you fill the slow cooker and intend to turn it on, a red light staying off will remind you it's not on.
If the slow cooker's on, the red light indicates that the pot is hot, potentially preventing you from touching it and getting surprised.
It's that neat feature that I think is important. It's handy to be able to look across the room and see if the machine on or off instead of having to go to it to check. It's a small benefit, but I think it's a useful one. We're all forgetful at least once, and this light could save you the one time you are!
Auto and Warm Features
There are just two other features for entry-level slow cookers that are worth mentioning: auto and warm.
Auto: An auto setting will cook the food on high for the first hour then automatically turn it down to the low setting. This is handy but isn't usually available in lower-end models. As a rule of thumb, a dish will cook two times faster on high than it would on low, so if you have to run it entirely on low when following a recipe that says to use auto, then just add an hour to the cooking time.
Warm: A warm setting enables you to use the slow cooker to keep food warm once the dish has finished cooking. While handy if it's available, it's usually not a "must-have" feature. I will choose a slow cooker that has this setting if it's available, but it's certainly not going to be a necessity for me. My food needs are to cook food and then eat it!
A Final Overview
Cooking for your family is entirely different from cooking for yourself on a daily basis. Families tend to have larger kitchens, more storage space, bigger freezers, and a more abundant pantry of ingredients they can use for the occasional times they cook for one person. They also use up their leftovers more quickly than a single person! If you're cooking for one and make six portions, that means you have to eat that meal six times. A family that does this can either eat it all in one meal or split it into two 3-portion meals accompanied by a few side dishes.
If you're cooking for one, want the best slow cooker, and have a small freezer, here are a few reminders of what to consider:
A 3.5-liter slow cooker is probably the best size to buy.
An oval slow cooker will give you the most flexibility.
An on/off light is really handy!
Stick with well-known brands that have good warranties.
Don't get side-tracked and go over your budget for new, fancy, features.
