Sous Vide Vegetables

Douglas Baldwin -- author of "Sous Vide for the Home Cook" http://www.amazon.com/product/dp/0984493603/ and "A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking" http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html -- first explains the science of cooking vegetables sous vide and then demonstrates how he cooks apples, corn, and carrots sous vide.

Apples: First, Douglas slices up two apples (one peeled) and vacuum packages them with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Then he puts them in a 185°F (85°C) water bath for 30-40 minutes. Finally, he pours the liquid from the bag into a skillet, thickens it over medium-high heat for a few minutes, and pours it over the cooked apples. See page 229 of Sous Vide for the Home Cook for more details

Corn: Douglas vacuum packs each ear of corn with a tablespoon (16 g) of butter. He then puts the corn in a 185°F (85°C) water bath for 30-45 minutes. Finally, he removes them from the water bath and their pouches. Serve seasoned with salt and pepper. The recipe is on page 221 of Douglas' cookbook.

Carrots: Douglas vacuum seals baby carrots with butter, honey, and sage. Then he puts them in a 185°F (85°C) water bath for 30-50 minutes. As with the apples, he reduces the liquid in the pouch in a skillet to make a sauce. He then adds the carrots to the skillet and stirs to glaze them before serving. See page 220 in Sous Vide for the Home Cook for more details.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• sous vide
• vegetables
• carrots
• corn
• apples
• cooking
• recipes
• food
• vacuum sealing
• water baths
• SousVide Supreme

[thexbigxgreen]

I really enjoy your videos and your online guide, they are both very informative and inspiring! As a culinary school graduate it's very useful to have such a precise guide. I'm curious what your experience has been with cooking starches sous-vide?

[MathematicalChef]

@thexbigxgreen Mixed. Starchy vegetables work great but I had trouble adapting grains — they tended to get mushy on me. Others have had much better luck doing risotto-style grains (see Modernist Cuisine). I plan to discuss plant-based sous vide in more detail in my next revision.

[thexbigxgreen]

@MathematicalChef I would guess that the timing would need to be relatively precise when cooking grains versus cooking something like meat. Even if one is able to figure out the perfect liquid/grain ratio, if the cooking medium is sufficiently hot for the grain to absorb liquid it will never reach a point where the absorption is halted. It would take quite a lot of experimentation to reach the point where someone would know exactly how long to cook a grain for perfect results.

[MathematicalChef]

@thexbigxgreen Exactly.

[fernwood]

I"ve been toying with the idea of investing in a Sous Vide setup. After seeing the look of the corn, I'm sold.

[MathematicalChef]

It's covered in my book, but I'll try and shed some light here too. The standard recommendation (2009 US Food Code) is to cook all parts to 165°F for at least 15 sec. You can kill the same number of bacteria at lower temperatures, it just takes longer; for example, both 156°F for 1 min and 140°F for 35 min reduce Salmonella by 10 million to one. For more time-temperature combinations, see Table C.2 in my guide.

[jbattley]

@MathematicalChef I bit the bullet. I have been dying to try this method, and watching every video I can get my hands on. I just placed my order for a Sous Vide supreme, and your book as well. I do have a question I hope is covered in your book. You mention you cook your chicken to 145 - yet the temperature I have always known was more around 160-170 for poultry. I assume this is pasteurization, and that bacteria at that temperature for a certain period - just dies? Can you shed some light?

[MathematicalChef]

@jbattley Thank you, I'm glad you like it.

Cheapest is to heat a large stock-pot of water to 145°F. Put a chicken breast and a quarter cup broth in a quart Ziploc freezer bag. Add the bag to the pot and check the temp every few minutes to keep it as close to 145°F as you can. [I strongly recommend using a good digital thermometer.] Cook it for at least an hour to pasteurize. Sear as in my chicken video. [I usually do chicken breasts at 140°F for 2 hrs, but that's a long time to mind the stove.]

[jbattley]

Doug, I love your videos... but now I have to ask - how do you recommend someone start "trying" sous vide? I am really interested in the technique, but for the Sous Vide Supreme, I would have to spend $400 to decide if I even like the cooking technique and results...