C – Last Summer, I had to feed 12 people a lot of food at my small apartment in San Francisco.
I really didn’t know why I accepted it. Especially, when we didn’t have a large oven to throw a 15 pound roast into. It was too hot to braise anything. I hate ordering food. My husband suggested we call it off or get a $200 grill and grill meat outside.
I wasn’t a big fan of the idea. Our landlord might not like the idea of using his backyard to grill things and leave the grill out for awhile after. It was an expensive thing to buy. It was big and bulky. We also didn’t have a place to store it. So, I had to really think this one through.
I remembered that sous vide machines were entering the consumer market. I could actually buy one for a reasonable price. It will cook a lot of food without ruining it. I did my research and found one for $200. It was still quite expensive in my book. But, it was about the same price as a grill and I could use it indoors. It was also a small machine that could be packed away.
The big question, would I use it a lot? Maybe. Of course, I could use it and return it. NOTE: This is never anything I would consider doing, unless I really didn’t like it.
NOTE 2: We were not sponsored by any products. I just liked the machine and wanted to share this great technique.
So, I took the plunge. I bought a sous vide machine. I placed five bags of rib-eye steaks and set it to cook. The cool thing about meats cooked sous vide is that you could use them when you are ready. My husband and his friends weren’t ready for dinner yet. So, I waited until everything was done. I really didn’t need to worry about overcooking the meat, because the meat just stayed at its perfect temperature.
I loved that I didn’t have to worry. Overcooking meat for 12 people would have been a big disappointment. Especially, when everyone knows I have a food blog that talks about really good cooking. I had to make sure I impressed them.
Everyone was impressed. The steak was perfectly cooked. Medium rare, tender, juicy and perfectly seasoned. People who didn’t like beef came up to me and asked what I did. I showed them my machine.
| Sous Vide Week: New York Strip Sous Vide |
- 2 steaks (we used New York Strip for this shoot)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 2 cryovac bags or freezer zip lock bags
- ½ cup White wine
- Preheat the sous vide water bath to 53 degrees Celsius.
- Salt and pepper both steaks generously.
- Place a piece of steak in each bag.
- Add 2 sprigs of thyme to each bag.
- Add 1 Tbsp of butter to each bag.
- Seal using a vacuum sealer or close the zip lock bag and removing as much air as possible from the bags.
- Place in the water bath for at least 60 minutes or until ready to serve.
- Remove from water bath.
- Remove steaks from packages and pat dry.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saute pan on medium high heat.
- Add steaks and remaining thyme sprigs. Sear until golden brown and crispy. Baste the steak with butter as it cooks. About 1 minute on each side.
- Remove steaks and let rest on a plate.
- Add wine to the pan. Let reduce by half.
- Add butter and mix well.
- Serve steaks. Top with pan sauce.
- Enjoy!
It was like I was hosting an infomercial. “This is the greatest thing since the oven.” I would say. Everyone laughed. Thought I was crazy. Pleased I did it in such a small kitchen.
I was relieved. It was an awesome night. People are still talking about that meal.