Heston Blumenthal 'Down Under' - and sous-vide cooking in the TMX!

[cookie1]

Thanks for the temperatures. I have a machine that I could try them in. It won't be for a few weeks though.

[mcmich]

LOL Cookie - will be interested how the eel turns out 

[cookie1]

Oh gosh, the iPad has a mind of its own. One day I will remember to re read it correctly. Thanks Michele.

[Andrealphus]

McMich - regarding cuts of steak: I'm not sure whether the names of the cuts are the same in Oz, but you could go for any of the steaks you'd usually have medium-cooked (i.e. fillet, sirloin, rump, rib-eye, t-bone) and do for an hour, assuming they're not of an immense size (bear in mind, I've never tried this in the thermo, only in the sous-vide!). Do NOT season with salt, or marinade in alcohol before vac-packing (alcohol gives it an unpleasant taste in sous vide). *Do leave on a rack in the fridge for 24 hours, if you want to mature it a little more for flavour. You can add a small amount of oil to the vac pack if you want to (best frozen in an ice cube tray, so it doesn't leach out) although oil not necessary. Herbs will add a stronger than usual flavour, so use sparingly if you want to use them.

Once cooked, heat a decent thick non-stick pan up to a very high temp, drain your meat (add juices to your sauce, if you're having one), brush/smear with oil (e.g. sunflower, or similar subtle flavoured that will not burn at a high heat - so no extra virgin olive oil), add salt and pepper, and sear for a few seconds on each side until brown (like a bark effect), for full flavour.

The beauty of using a proper sous vide machine, is that you can then use very cheap cuts of meat, or 'tough cuts', and cook them for between 4 and 72 hours (depending on the cut and meat) for meltingly tender results, whether medium rare or whatever... (So beef skirt, featherblade, and all sorts of braising cuts can be done). And you can cook your steak rare/med-rare/medium or whatever for 1-12 hours, so it will sit in there quite happily until you're ready to sear it while you do everything else.

Also pork and chicken can be done at 60 degrees, or pork done to medium etc. to be moist and tender beyond belief - and after 2 hours the pathogens are killed, salmon can be done to a tenderness like a set custard, fruit and veg to perfection, sauces, scrambled eggs, shellfish, pate, terrines, eggs, foie gras... and that is why they cost a few pennies (but only 1/4 to 1/3 the price of the TMX), because you will never taste food cooked to such perfection and succulence, for any doubters! And if you brine the pork or chicken first, be prepared to be amazed like never before!

And that is why a sous vide machine is worth the money!

Hope this helps, and I hope it works in the TMX - when I saw some women demonstrating at the BBC Good Food show last year, they assured me that you could cook sous vide in it (obviously not rare or medium rare!), so will be interested to hear of anyone's results!

If it works, happy to give a few timings for things that I've done and enjoyed - you just won't be able to leave anything in a TMX for less than medium for more than a set time

[Andrealphus]

Sorry correction - still not that familiar with my TMX and all the numbers yet! You *can* do rare (50 degrees), just not medium rare (but you can do medium at 60 degrees!). Forgot the 50 degrees setting while I was posting my last post! 

[Andrealphus]

Oh, also - I know this is probably TOTALLY obvious, but just in case.... I'm talking about (almost) filling the bowl with water, before you put your vac-packed food in, and bring it up to temperature, not putting it into a dry bowl!!! Well, better safe than sorry! 

[obbie]

<a href="http://www.sousvidesupreme.com.au/online-shop/sous-vide-equipment/sous-vide-supreme-demi-black>

$599.50 + GST

[Andrealphus]

Obbie, I bought mine second hand barely used from Ebay for £190 ($288), and it's £250 ($379) new (from Lakeland)... my TMX 31 on the other hand cost £885 ($1,341)!!! There could be other outlets, or maybe worth sourcing from another country if the postage isn't too high??

Not sure I could choose between them, having fish, poultry and meat so perfectly cooked every time has revolutionised our expectations of food! Ask me in a month?

The sous vide is now one of those gadgets I never want to live without, mind (although for a few years, we just used a huge stock pot, and a sugar thermometer, with meat in sandwich bags and vacuums created by water displacement, and temperature regulated by turning the gas on every 15-20 minutes or so!). So you don't even need a TMX to cook sous-vide, although I wouldn't recommend trying anything other than steak in a stock pot - one hour is enough of checking and fiddling!

[obbie]

How come a Thermie is $2000  here, and yours was $1341.

I could experiment in my other thermie machine...

[mcmich]

Thanks for all that information Andrea.
Well here goes, am going to give it whirl. I have a 110gm fillet steak. Have vacuum packed it, added the basket and preheated the water to 60. Have set the timer for 1 hour and as I'm home will try for 21/2 - 3hrs.

Robyn does the HMP have more temperature intervals? The site you posted didn't work - all good will google.

I would be chuffed if this turns out as I don't want another machine (but may succumb, if it turns out). They did veggies too on the Breville site, looked so easy.

[obbie]

Yes Michelle, higher temps, and stays there once its programed.

I will try on the weekend.

[mcmich]

Yes Michelle, higher temps, and stays there once its programed.

I will try on the weekend.

There's another machine that's tempting me. 

[obbie]

Its Fun Michelle, I am happy with my 2.
you can set the temps accurate, then when it gets to temp, it stays there.

[Yvette]

Mich how did the steak turn out?

[mcmich]

It's still on Yvette. Will post pics and a review once done.