February Newsletter 2020
February 28, 2020
Welcome to our February newsletter and to the end of the season!
You’re summer crop might be enjoying a final stint, but because it is warmer than summers 10 years ago, you might need to change what you normally do in February. You may find the tomatoes, eggplant and capsicum and still chugging along nicely.
In any case, it’s time to start thinking about preparing your garden for autumn planting. Try lettuce, spinach, leek, silverbeet, and some Asian greens right about now. Broccoli, leeks and spring onions could be worth the effort as the nights get cooler.
We have also put a lot of work into compiling the best recipes, tips and tricks, and great product reviews this month, which we hope will inspire you for continued success with sous vide cooking.
- Take Your Food Smoking to the Next Level – Upgrade to the Smoking Gun Pro
- What’s Probe Control™ – And why Probe Control is better than using a thermometer?
- Sous Vide Australia Tips – You can do some really amazing things with the Smoking Gun Pro
- Book Your Next Sous Vide Cooking Class – For beginners and advanced chefs
- Sous Vide Australia Recipe Ideas – Barbecued Chicken with Moroccan Spices
Thanks and enjoy the read this month!
All the best,
Dale and Libby Prentice
Take Your Food Smoking to the Next Level
Upgrade to the Smoking Gun Pro 🔥💨
The Breville | PolyScience Smoking Gun is a cult-favourite kitchen tool that’s been updated and we can guarantee that it’s well worth the investment.
Despite its ability to turn any dish or beverage into a showstopper, the original Smoking Gun feels a bit cheap and disposable, and maybe a fun gadget to use every now and then.
The step up to the Pro version makes a massive difference, and its large robust housing has been designed specifically to withstand commercial use, and is perfect for the time-poor chef or bartender looking for a shortcut to that smoky flavour.
The Smoking Gun Pro is also much easier to control than it’s previous version. The new variable speed setting makes a huge difference, which means it can not only go faster, but you can produce a much longer, deeper smoke out of it too. It’s also really easy to dissemble and many of the components are dishwasher safe.
If on the other hand, you’ve never heard of a Smoking Gun and are now considering one, then save your pennies a little longer and go the Pro – you won’t regret it!
What is Probe Control™?
And why Probe Control is better than using a thermometer?
A question that we often get is… “Why is the temperature of my pan different than the temperature of my food?”
Simply put, the temperature of your cooking vessel is not always the same temperature as what is inside of it. If you have a small volume of liquid such as a 1-litre saucepan, their temperatures may quickly align. If you place a 20 Litre stock pot on the same burner, it will take far longer to heat that volume. It is also much harder to maintain a given temperature due to ambient factors and evaporative cooling.
Let’s switch gears and use a familiar analogy…
Consider heating / air conditioning. If you set your house to 22°C and the heat or cooling system turns on, it will blow very hot or very cold air to get you to your set point (22°C) quickly. The air coming out of the vents is not 22°C. If it were, it would take a very long time to reach equilibrium, if at all.
The same rules apply here. Because of the unique programming of the Control Freak, this is where we can deploy Probe Control™, which is designed to automatically monitor and adjust the temperature of your pan / pot in order to maintain your desired temperature.
Most induction units have a simple on/off control and which is why you need to constantly adjust them when you add or remove food. This saves time and keeps the cooking process in control. 🍳⏰
Probe Control is definitely one of the most unique and exciting features of the Control ºFreak. If you want to know more about this state of the art kitchen appliance then please visit our website.
Sous Vide Australia Tips
You can do some really amazing things with the Smoking Gun Pro
Apart from adding natural smoke flavour to meat and fish, we’ve seen chefs use it across the menu in subtle ways, like adding nuances of flavour to vegetables, cheese and butter, or adding light whispers of smoke to help deepen the flavour of desserts.
Bartenders can even take their beverages to the next level and use the Pro to smoke a glass, the booze, or an entire cocktail to create different levels of smokiness. 🍹😋
Another novel way to amaze your guests would be to smoke in a carafe or decanter, where it will hover in there for a good few minutes. Then you just have to pour and the smoke will flow out on top of the alcohol for a wonderful effect. We used this method to create a smoked champagne cocktail with strawberry and mint, and the result is simply mind-blowing!
Book Your Next Sous Vide Cooking Class
For beginners and advanced chefs 👨🍳
Whether you’re an aspiring chef or you’re just into the culinary arts, you might love to take some sous vide cooking classes. If you live in Melbourne and surrounds, then come and check out what’s happening at THE UPPER ROOM – the only sous vide cooking school in Australia!
Talented sous vide chef, Dale Prentice, is leading the way to enhance or finesse your skills in the kitchen with an advanced sous vide class for the experienced chef coming up on 16th March, and a class for the Home Chef being held on 4th April.
No matter your flavour, there is a great choice of team building cooking classes to choose from too. Enjoy with your teammates or have fun with friends and family, with every class ending in a delicious meal. 🍅 🍆🍮🍷
Plus you’ll receive a $20 gift voucher towards any appliance or cookbook from Sous Vide Australia. 🎁
Sous Vide Australia Recipe Idea
Barbecued Chicken with Moroccan Spices 🍗😋
Enjoy the last days of summer with this beautiful recipe. This family favourite uses the process of sous vide to give a whole chicken a wonderful depth of flavour, with just a hint of fragrant Moroccan spices. The first step of gently cooking the meat inside the vacuum pouch releases the juices from the chicken, in turn creating an aromatic sauce that also helps keep the meat moist.
You can either finish off the chicken on a medium to hot BBQ, which will give it a delicate smokiness and crisp the skin, or you can cut the corner off the vacuum pouch and use The Smoking Gun Pro to infuse a smoky flavour to the meat before crisping the skin under a hot grill.
This delicious summer recipe can be found in “At Home with Sous Vide” by Dale Prentice.