Techniques and technology are continuously moving forward in the kitchen and we’re always looking to see what might result in culinary improvements here. Our latest ‘toy’ is called a polyscience circulator and it allows us to control the temperature that we cook food at to 0.1 of a degree – a level of precision that had previously been impossible.
So what is a polyscience circulator? It is an electrical element that heats a bath of water to the desired temperature. Food products are placed in the water and cooked at a much lower, even and consistent temperature than in a conventional oven, resulting in a much better end product. This type of cooking technique is called ‘sous-vide’ which translates into ‘under vacuum’. The reason for it being called this is because the items of food are placed in vacuum sealed bags before being poached in the water.
Tough meats such as beef short rib, pork belly and brisket benefit immensely from sous-vide cooking. These types of cut need to be cooked at lower temperatures so that the tough connective tissues break down. The circulator allows us to do this at such a lower temperature than braising or roasting and the result is a much more tender piece of meat. We are currently cooking beef short rib this way and instead of braising it for 6 hours we now sous-vide it for 36 hours! The result is a piece of meat that is as tender as filet mignon.
The other advantage to this type of cooking is that we can get a more consistent product and it eliminates “chef error”! People have higher standards than ever when dining out so it is important that every plate of food that leaves the kitchen is perfect, and we hope that this clever piece of kit will help us achieve this!
Interestingly, sous-vide cooking was introduced in the mid-1970’s by a man called Georges Pralus. He developed the technique for the famous Troisgros brothers of France but it is only in the last 8-10 years that it has become increasingly popular.