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Tables and tips
Sous-vide cooking
Sous-vide cooking is a method of cooking under a
vacuum at low temperatures between 50
and 95
°C and
in 100% steam.
With this operating mode, no preheating is necessary.
Sous-vide cooking is a gentle, low-fat method of cooking
meat, fish, vegetables and desserts. A vacuum-sealing
machine uses heat to hermetically seal the food in a
special heat-resistant cooking bag.
The protective envelope retains the nutrients and
flavours. The low temperatures and the direct transfer of
heat allow precisely controlled cooking in order to
achieve the desired cooking results. It is almost
impossible to overcook the food.
Portions
Use the portion sizes listed in the cooking table. For
relatively large quantities and items, the cooking time
must be adjusted accordingly.
The portions given for fish, meat and poultry correspond
to a single serving. A portion size sufficient for four
people has been selected for vegetables and desserts.
Rack levels
You can cook on up to two levels. Place the cooking
containers on levels 1
and 3
to achieve the best cooking
results. When cooking on just one level, use level 2.
Hygiene
m
Warning – Health risk!
Sous-vide cooking is a method of cooking at low
temperatures. As a result, it is important that you always
follow the application and hygiene instructions below:
▯
Use only fresh, good-quality food.
▯
Wash and disinfect your hands. Use disposable
gloves or cooking/grill tongs.
▯
Take extra care when preparing critical food, such
as poultry, eggs and fish.
▯
Always thoroughly rinse and/or peel fruit and
vegetables.
▯
Always keep work surfaces and chopping boards
clean. Use different chopping boards for different
types of food.
▯
Maintain the cold chain.Make sure that you only
interrupt it briefly to prepare the food, and then
return the food in its vacuum-sealed bag to the
refrigerator for storage before you cook it.
▯
Food is suitable for immediate consumption only.
Once the food is cooked, consume it immediately.
Do not store it after cooking – not even in the
refrigerator.It is not suitable for reheating.
Vacuum-sealing bags
When using the sous-vide cooking method, only use
heat-resistant vacuum-sealing bags designed for this
purpose.
Do not cook the food in the bag you bought it in (e.g.
portions of fish). These bags are not suitable for sous-
vide cooking.
Vacuum-sealing
Use a chamber vacuum-sealing machine that can create
a 99% vacuum to vacuum-seal the food. This is the only
way to achieve even heat transfer and therefore a
perfect cooking result.
Before cooking the food, check whether the vacuum in
the bag is intact. Make sure that:
▯
There is no/hardly any air in the vacuum-sealing
bag.
▯
The heat-sealed seam is perfectly sealed.
▯
There are no holes in the vacuum-sealing bag. You
do not use a core temperature probe.
▯
Pieces of meat and fish that have been vacuum-
sealed together are not pressed directly against
one another.
▯
As far as possible, you avoid piling up vegetables
and desserts when vacuum-sealing them.
If in doubt, place the food into a new bag and vacuum-
seal it again.
Food should be vacuum-sealed at most one day before it
is cooked. This is the only way to prevent the escape of
gases from the food (e.g. from vegetables) which inhibit
the transfer of heat, or to prevent the texture of the food
from changing, and thus altering how it cooks, as a
result of the vacuum pressure.
Quality of the food
The quality of the cooking result is 100% influenced by
the quality of the ingredients you use. Use only fresh,
top-quality food. This is the only way to guarantee a
consistent cooking result that delivers impeccable
flavour.
Cooking
Sous-vide cooking prevents flavours from escaping,
intensifying the food's natural flavour. Please note that
the usual quantities of seasoning and condiments, such
as herbs, spices and garlic, will have a much greater
effect on the flavour. Start off by halving the quantities
you usually use.
If the ingredients are of high quality, it is often sufficient
to enclose them in the bag with just a small knob of
butter and a little salt and pepper. Generally, the fact
that the food's natural flavours intensify during cooking
is sufficient on its own to produce a flavourful cooking
result.
Do not place the vacuum-sealed food items on top of
one another or too close together in the cooking
containers. In order to ensure that the heat is
distributed evenly, the food items should not be
touching. If you have more than one vacuum-sealing
bag, cook on two levels.
