We all have to start from somewhere and not all of us will understand the ins and outs of sous vide cooking, or just cooking in general. And that’s totally okay. It takes time, experimenting, and mistakes.
Also, shout out to our new #anovafoodnerds who come here and ask questions. This place has a lot of resources and a lot of kind and informed members. Definitely make great use of that.
What’s something new you cooked in the past week? What did you learn? What improvements would you make next time???
We cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast last night for the second time. I cooked them a bit too long (~4 hours) and they had become a bit too mushy for me, although my wife didn’t object since they were moist and tender. However, once again she complained that she didn’t like eating her food a the sous vide cooking temperature, which, in this case, was 140F. So I’ve now realized that as much as she likes the things I make with the sous vide, she’s not going to be happy unless I make sure there’s always a “finishing step” that will raise the serving temperature of the food. She’s less concerned about the finished texture than she is the temperature.
Raising the sous vide temp will change the nature of the final product. IMO there’s no point to taking the chicken back in the direction of dry! It’s easier to put it in a skillet for a minute or two to bring up the surface temp. JMO
Doc’s got it right.
Not the 4 hour cook, but the importance of temperature as served.
It seems to me that most North American folks judge the quality of their food by only one sensory evaluation, - temperature. Does it meet their temperature expectation? It better, or it’s not good. Oh yes, and quantity matters too. There better be lots.
Consider that around the Mediterranean most food is enjoyed neither hot or cold. And it’s considered by people of discerning taste to be among the best in the world.
@docj making sure you serve on hot plates will make a big difference as well.
Personally, I’m well used to eating cold or luke warm food. As the cook, I tend to be paying more attention to other people’s enjoyment of what I prepare. On top of that, I’m quite simply a very slow eater.
@Ember Both my wife and I tend to be slow eaters, so serving on warm/hot plates is a must for us!
My wife fell in love with eating food cooked at table on a raclette - but somehow it was put away and forgotten until just a couple hours ago! (We were discussing the subject of hot food while working out in the yard and she remembered the raclette!)
I’m thinking that items already cooked sous vide might be perfect on the raclette - where each person can heat them at table to “just the way they like them”!