Page 37 - Sous Vide Que

Advantages Of Pre-Searing Or Pre-Smoking
• Pasteurizes the surfaces and that is where most of the contamination is. But that really doesn’t matter if you cook long enough.
• Builds flavor for the jus in the bag.
• Firms up the shape so soft things like fish don’t get squished
into funny shapes by the vacuum sealer.
• Speeds Maillard buildup at the end of the cook.
Disadvantages Of Pre-Searing Or Pre-Smoking
• Begins to cook the interior. Of course one of the primary purposes of sous vide is to prevent overcooking the interior.
• Researchers tell us that if you pre-sear, you really should chill the meat after searing to 41°F or below before vacuuming or the muscle can develop air pockets that will alter the texture. Pre-searing and pre-smoking break water out of muscle fibers and when you attempt to vacuum seal that liquid is easily pulled out of the meat and into the bag where it can interfere with the vacuum sealing of the bag. These meats are best put in zipper bags and evacuated by Archimedes principle of displacement by submerging them in water. Alternatively, you might be able to vacuum seal if you use a long bag in order to keep the purge from traveling into the seal zone. If you pre-sear or smoke, you should consider using a zipper bag.
• Takes time.
• Gets pans or griddles dirty that must be cleaned.
• Flavor improvement is barely noticeable.
Speeding Things Up
Some advanced chefs set their water temperature 5°F higher than their target temperature for the food and then dial it back after 30
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