Article: "Sous Vide" or low temperature slow cooking beginner's guide
"Sous Vide" or low temperature slow cooking beginner's guide
There are other ways to cook meat other than boiling, baking, steaming, grilling and frying! I’m sure a lot of you have heard this method before, but you may not be fully aware of all the benefits of cooking your meat this way. Today, we’ll be giving you a beginner’s guide to sous-vide cooking using this BONIQ low temperature slow cooker. Plus, some other recipes that you can try out!
What kind of beef dishes can be cooked at low temperature?
Sous-vide is also known as low temperature prolonged cooking. It’s a method of cooking where food is cooked low and slow!
One of the most common ways to cook is by using heat from fire. When food is heated at over 100°C, you are able to get a nice golden-brown finish and soften the food. The downside to this is if you end up cooking it at that temperature a bit too long, the protein solidifies, and your meat turns out chewy or even rubbery. Yuck.this is if you end up cooking it at that temperature a bit too long, the protein solidifies, and your meat turns out chewy or even rubbery. Yuck.
On that note, we’re here to introduce an alternative! Sous-vide!!! Cooking meat this way allows you to cook the meat at a consistent temperature below 100°C for a long time where protein doesn’t harden too much, but the bad “food-poisoning-causing” bacteria is still killed. This gives the meat a nice and unique finish that opens up a whole new world of flavors and textures!
The length of time taken to cook will determine whether the fungus or bacteria in the meat is killed. For 2cm thick cuts of beef finished at medium-rare, you can heat it at 58°C for about 2 hours. Even if bacteria try to join the party, it’s possible to reduce that number to less than 1/10,000. For 5cm thick cuts, heating at 58°C for 4 hours and 40 minutes is the way to go.
Even if you’re not a pro (yet), you can safely cook meats at low temperatures and still have a delicious product!
(For more information, please refer to BONIQ "Low temperature cooking time standards table" https://boniq.jp/pdf/ttguide.pdf ）
Key points to cooking at low temperature
When cooking beef sous-vide, there are a couple things to keep in mind: first is to remember to check the "safe temperature range and heating time" chart before cooking. Next is to consume the cooked meat as soon as possible, so the bacteria don’t have time to reproduce. If you cannot consume all of it at once, you can soak it in some ice water to quickly lower the temperature of the meat.
The BONIQ low temperature cooker has a built-in timer and temperature setting that can keep the water at a constant temperature for the time that you have set. Make sure to keep the meat in a vacuum-sealed bag before cooking. You can also use a thick plastic bag for this method. Just make sure that you release as much air from inside the bag and check for any holes before cooking. If there are holes in the bag, the meat juices might leak out and stick to the pot or BONIQ making it a pain to clean up! Frozen meat from The Meat Guy is already pre-packaged in a vacuum-sealed bag, so it’s that much easier. You won’t have to transfer it to a separate bag. It’s safe to cook it as-is.
GREAT! Now, here are some recipes for low temperature cooking.
With this sous-vide cooker, you can enjoy meat that looks gorgeous, and tastes even better! Simply place the meat in the cooker, then leave for the set time. How much easier can it get?!
The meat that we will be using in these recipes are the
USDA CHOICE rib eye steak
, and
USDA CHOICE strip steak
(about 2cm thick cuts).
“USDA Choice” is the grade of beef. Choice is the middle-grade, having a moderate balance of leanness and marbling. Because these cows were raised on a nutrient-rich diet including corn and soybeans, the meat flavor is enhanced and the fat is nice and refreshing.
Here are some recipes that you can try at home!
Medium-finished Thick-cut steak
For the 2cm-thick USDA CHOICE strip steak, cook at 58°C for 2 hours. The Meat Guy offers these steaks already vacuum-sealed, so all you have to do is place it in the refrigerator to thaw out the night before (no need to open), then put it in the cooker when you’re ready to cook. Set the temperature and time on your BONIQ, and wait! Sooo simple!
After heating, quickly sear in a hot frying pan with some olive oil (about 2 tbsp.) for a nice brown outer layer. Serve with some salt and pepper, and you’re good!
Roast Beef Tartine for 2 Servings
Prepare the USDA CHOICE Ribeye steak by thawing in the refrigerator. Cut it in half (175g) and place in a sealed bag. (Make sure to remove any air from inside the bag!) Place in the cooker and set at 58°C for 2 hours. Prepare 2 pieces of German rye bread, and spread on a thin layer of butter. Stack some baby leaves or onion slices, then top off with thin slices of the cooked meat. Season with salt, black pepper, olive oil to taste, and dig in!
For a more “instagrammable” appeal, garnish with pink peppercorns and fresh parsley! Drizzle some balsamic vinegar as you like to add acidity and give it a refreshing flavor.
Safe and Delicious “Yukhoe” Steak Tartare for 2 Servings
Place 1/2 USDA CHOICE Rib eye steak(175g) in a sealed bag (remove air!), and heat at 58°C for 2 hours.
After heating, put the beef in a bag in ice water, cool it well, cut it into 5 mm pieces, and plate. Top with egg yolk (1 yolk), sesame oil (1 tablespoon), salt (3 pinches) and sesame seeds!
Try a variety of dishes using low temperature cooking!
For these recipes, we used the BONIQ low temperature cooker. If you already have one, use that! Use this new method to expand your meat repertoire and make everyday a bit meatier!
Products used in this recipe
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