Cooking in a bag
In many restaurants, a nice piece of rosé meat has been a feature on the menu for decades. We like eating out. But what if want to cook a steak at home? Particularly if we are having guests, many home cooks start to worry. Because frying two steaks in the pan is different from six. And what if the butcher has cut the steaks slightly more thinly or irregularly?
Not surprising that the catering establishments like to use the sous-vide technique. With sous-vide, a product is cooked to the desired result in a very controlled manner. Besides meat and fish, vegetables can also be prepared sous-vide.
The product is packed in a plastic bag and cooked at a low temperature. We will explain how that works.
Vacuum packed
With the sous-vide method, the product to be prepared is packed in a special vacuum sous-vide bag. It’s not so much the vacuum climate which affects the cooking process. Rather the fact that the plastic seals the product completely. When the product is now surrounded by hot water or steam, the energy transfer takes place directly on the surface of the product. Vacuum packing is easy with a vacuum machine.
You can also add seasonings to the bag like olive oil, melted butter, fresh herbs, spices or lemon zest.
Because the product is vacuum sealed, seasonings are absorbed well and delicious aromas and the product’s own juices do not leak away.
Sous-vide preparation
The challenge in preparing meat and fish is retaining a good texture. It’s about the balance between the moisture and the proteins which seal in the moisture. In the case of meat, the connective tissue also plays a role. Above 60 degrees, the connective tissue shrinks and pushes the moisture out of the tender meat. Between 55 and 60 degrees, a steak is therefore a wonderful rosé, tender and juicy.
You steam a vacuum packed steak in a steam oven at a maximum of 60 degrees. Take a good hour and a half for this. The steak will very gradually reach à point. But not just that. Due to the long preparation time, the connective tissue will very gradually become nice and soft.
Does you steak now have a brown crust? No, but that’s very easily solved. After cooking sous-vide, the steak can be quickly browned. Pat the meat dry beforehand. Do this just before serving and keep it short. The best chance of a perfect steak!
