Thank you Helen for being there for me! I started sous vide using another channel on TH-cam and soon realised they were missing out some crucial steps; I could not emulate their results. Having found your channel I have now a talented lady to follow; every one of your posts is fantastic. I've learned a good deal of knowledge. Thank you.
Speaking from experience, surface area is a huge factor in imparting flavors doing sous vide. As you say, a garlic clove for example won't do anything, even if you crush it. Even mincing won't help much. However, if you puree the garlic, or even better use garlic powder, you can impart an intensely garlic flavor to the food. A trick I like to use when doing steaks is to add a pretty heavy amount of garlic chili paste to the bag, usually the huey fong brand (the same folks who make sriracha). It doesn't make the steak spicy, and you should clean it all off before searing, but it does give a strong and distinct flavor to the meat.
#realcomment. Small lid. Pressing on the meat. What a great idea! Tried it last night. Low splatter, no retained moisture. Fast (FAST) browning. Thank you.
I thought I had all the nuances of sous vide down. You just made my day with this video! I stumbled onto your channel via your fresh pasta troubleshooting video. I subscribed, and I’m very excited to burn through your back catalogue! How do you not have at least 500k subs? You’re working on the same level as chefsteps and SE. Methods before recipes! I love it. Thanks so much!
I was surprised by this video. I've been doing this for sous vide meats (mostly chicken) for quite a while. I also like to use sweet and sour sauce. My mustard sauce: 3 Tbsp Dry Mustard 2 Tbsp hot water 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds (preferably toasted) 1/4 tsp Sesame Oil 3/4 cup Soy Sauce 1 clove Garlic, crushed Adding 3 Tbsp heavy cream makes this a wonderful dipping sauce. I omit the cream for sous vide. I feel a little bit bad for not sharing this sooner.
@@helenrennie I did want to add one thing; I have a bottle of my mustard sauce, without any cream, in my refrigerator door. I don't think I've ever used a whole recipe all at once. The bottle I'm currently using has been in the fridge for around a year now. I'm not going to recommend anyone else do this, but it works for me. But DO NOT do this with added cream.
I think the soy sauce also contributes a lot. As a Chinese I grew up with dishes that use soy sauce, every time you add em in a hot pan the water’ll evaporate instantly, leaving behind a thick fond that coats the bottom of the pan
All your sous-vide advice mirrors what I've learnt from personal experience and fills in all the gaps other places like Serious Eats have left out. Excellent content!
Maillard reaction occurs with amino acids AND reducing sugar (practically anything but sucrose or regular sugar). When you add regular sugar to your marinate, it burns easily because most of it only caramelise but doesn't undergo Maillard reaction.
only 50% correct. table sugar breaks down into d-glucose and d-fructose after hydrolysis, which is exactly what happens when you heat it in the presence of water in acidic conditions. both of those are reducing sugars and will participate in Maillard reaction. if you're making a sweet marinade, just make sure it's got some acidity. it will brown like nobody's business and the food will benefit from both Maillard & caramelization reactions.
Helen, I’ve been cooking sous vide for some time now…we use the same machine btw. This presentation was very informative. I really love and appreciate your videos. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
Hi Helen, great tips! I suggest also playing around with asafetida powder used in a lot of indian cooking; gives a great char-broiled type umami flavor; a little goes a long way!
oh wow i recently bought both pomegranate molasses and zaatar blend.. what a coincidence i found this video! will be trying the same thing here shortly :)
Question for you, Helen. If you cook something like pork chops using this glaze, and then you want to sear the pork chops on a grill, would you also use this glaze during the searing process on the grill?
@Adam Churvis Wow, Adam, I love your explanation. Helen, I had given up using sous vide years ago, I am now inspired to taking my Supreme out of mothball and give it another go.
I don't do sous vide but I've used the combination of finely ground turkish coffee and brown sugar as a base rub on pork for years, I'd really appreciate it if you could give me your thoughts on the combination. It also works well on both beef and chicken, but it makes the biggest difference on pork chops.
I think Serious Eats conducted some experiments with Peanut Butter and the results were less than satisfying among various tasters... I'm wondering about miso paste- you gte the umami and the saltiness without the sweatness of the peanut butter?
Hi Helen, do you have any concern cooking raw garlic sous vide ? I've read that there is a concern for botulism when cooking raw garlic so I've moved to powdered garlic instead and find that the flavor is even better.
Great question. I don't think it's an issue for a couple of reasons. The acidity and salt in this glaze inhibits bacterial growth. Here is a cook's illustrated article about the acidity part of it: www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/6446-garlic-safety I am also not cooking it for a long period of time. Most of botulism concerns with sous-vide cooking are for things that are done for days. If you cook for 1-2 hours and chill right away, it shouldn't be a problem as far as I am aware. That being said, it's totally fine to skip garlic or replace it with powdered garlic if that makes you more uncomfortable.
Question, not related to browning, but to Sous-Vide. I have made mozzarella cheese at home, the milk also needs to reach and maintain a constant temperature. Do you think this could be done with this method?
Thanks for the tips, Helen! Looking forward to trying it out. Please keep these videos coming and if you ever get a chance, check out some of the sous vide videos we are creating. Would love some feedback.
I love za'atar especially when made with real hyssop - not common oregano and thyme - because I like that light tongue-numbing sensation. And of course the sumac is good for astringency. But the sesame seeds-must confess that they don't always work for looks and texture. So I've tended to like to make my own za'atar mix so that I can toast the sesame seeds a touch more-so a better flavor than most mixes I've found at local stores- and then I mortar/pestle before using if I don't want to see the sesame seeds on the final meat presentation.
#realcomment I use a dry rub prior to bagging. Plenty of salt and sugar along with aromatics and heat. Things brown nicely. Will try your glaze, but have had better luck with dry vs liquid.
@@helenrennie: Thank you. Will look for you to create your own sometime soon. I put it on before, vacuum sealing. As it thaws in the bag, the rub penetrates.
Hello pscheidt. Please share your rub recipe, it sounds easier than liquid marinade. I like using garlic butter at the sear, so together they should be great!
The torch works for me. I do chill it first. That, and liquid smoke before applying dry rub. It's no secret that sugar turns into a crust. Sugar is what I guessed. For me, that's a keto no-no.
That’s really good advice! I was actually considering making sous vide Chinese pork belly, with the same ingredients I’d normally use in a slow cooker. The pork fat might make them act as a glaze right? Anyway I now feel confident I should give it a try!
I am totally sold on sous vide beef. But I don't get sous-vide chicken, seems like it always comes out with a weird texture. There's something about rotisserie chicken fat that can't be duplicated. That said, Great video looking forward to experimenting.
I just discovered your channel and boy oh boy am I glad I did!!! I have been cooking sous-vide for several years and had no idea about several of the improvements you discuss. Thank You!!! I wonder if you have any specific recipes or ideas for sous-vide venison (a staple in my kitchen)?
Helen, I'm a hopeless cook but I've just started sous vide in an attempt at self-improvement. I came across your channel today. Very good and inspiring! Pomegranate molasses are/is not available locally but I came across the recipe below. Do you think it would be worth trying? If pomegranate molasses is proving hard to find, buy a carton of pomegranate juice; you need four cups in a saucepan with half a cup of sugar and a tablespoon or two of lemon juice. Reduce over a low heat for an hour or until the liquid is thick, dark and syrupy
I've tried making my own and it kind of sucked ;) Keep in mine that the pomegranate juice in a carton is not nearly as good as pomogranate juice in Lebanon. Just curious, where do you live? Is amazon an option? Here is the one I use: amzn.to/344Kloc It will probably cost you less to buy it on amazon than to make it yourself. You need a lot of pomegranate juice to end up with a thick syrup. That being said, if you want to make it yourself, I think it will still work in the glaze to produce better browning even though it won't taste quite as good by itself.
How well will this glaze work as an (unintentional) marinade? If I vacuum bag my proteins with this glaze on the weekend and don't get around to sous vide cooking until later in the week, does it positively or negatively affect the meat? Or does that depend on the type of meat? What if I sous vide cook on the weekend and leave it chilled still in the bag until later in the week to brown later?
Looks great. Quick questions: 1. I'd like to try this with turkey breasts (most likely two breasts tied into a roll with string). How much marinade should I use? 2. I don't get a good vacuum seal when I use liquids. Does this marinade freeze well? (Adding an ice cube of marinade doesn't interfere with the vacuum seal.) Thanks!!!
Just go by eye. Use enough to coat the whole turkey breast. It's kind of important for the glaze to cover the whole surface. If you freeze it into an ice-cube it might not spread over the meat evenly, but it's worth a shot. There is nothing in this marinade that can't be frozen. I don't use vacuum seal bags. I just use zip locks. Another idea is to let the turkey sit in the marinade overnight. Then dry and seal it.
(My marinade does not separate) The marinade for browning did a terrific job of browning chicken given that most of it was wiped off before the searing stage. My marinade did not separate even after a week of sitting in the refrigerator. That and subsequent batches have some sort of separation anxiety and they are not even pourable - I have to spoon out the marinade. I followed the ingredient amounts exactly (except for garlic and herbs) but I did not whisk the ingredients together. Instead, I gave the ingredients a vigorous shake in a small jar or an OXO salad dressing shaker. I first added the Dijon mustard, pomegranate molasses and soy to the shaker and stirred them together with a chop stick. I added half the amount of oil (quarter cup of sunflower oil), capped the container and shook it for about a minute. I then added the remaining oil (another quarter cup) and gave it another hearty shake. In some batches I used a very dark soy sauce (Pearl River Bridge) and in other batches I used Kikkoman light soy sauce. The only difference was that the marinade made with the light soy was the color of peanut butter while the marinade made with the dark soy was as dark as the soy. But as the marinade is removed before searing, this doesn’t seem to be too important.
Hi Helen! Would you say marinating the chicken before would produce much better results? Also, would it be also good using normal molasses? Thank you and I love your channel!
In case of sous-vide, marinading in advance doesn't seem to make a difference. The marinade will penetrate the outer millimeter during the water bath. I haven't use regular molasses. It might work fine. I think it's worth trying.
Hi Helen, I've made your grilling sauce and I love it. However ... when I put it into the fridge, the oil solidifies (as good oils do). I use avocado oil as my all-purpose oil for health and flavor (none!) reasons, but should I be using something different in this sauce? Or do I just have to remember to take it out early so it warms to room temperature before I use it? Thanks!
It doesn't need to warm all the way to room temp. After 10 min at room temp, you'll be able to shake it and get it all integrated. If not (maybe avocado solidifies more than the oil I use), swoosh the bottle under warm water from the tap for 20-30 seconds and oil should liquify. I actually prefer it from the fridge. it's thicker :)
#realcomment Do we still need to do real comments? Either way; I usually go like 3-4 cloves of garlic, a ton of pepper, salt, a sprig of rosemary and a bunch of thyme and I precook that all in a pan with butter. I have found that raw garlic sous vide doesn't ever really change flavor and it keeps it's oniony bite. I've also found sous vide really dilutes the flavor of whatever you put in the bag with the meat (except rosemary) so I go very heavy on sauces or herbs. One time I made sous vide pork belly with this bright and delicious beer based sauce that was very strong in flavor. When it was done though it tasted like a porkchop, I'm going to try it again some day but with like 3x the sauce. Of course, none of this addresses the browning issues, but I am a little apprehensive about adding sugar to a steak.
#realcomment is only for things you really need to to reply to, though I try to reply to everyone who has a real question unless I get completely swamped.
But can you think of anything as an substitute? I think I'm gonna experiment some more..having a balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, honey, garlic idea. So glad I stumbled across your channel...while looking for some sauces ideas. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the videos Helen! I wait patiently for each new release. Keep them coming. The glazed chicken breasts browned very well in the skillet. Did you test it on the grill?
the glaze helps on the grill too, but you need insanely hot grill to produce browning quickly enough not to ruin the even doneness sous-vide gives you.
@@helenrennie Thank you. I will try it. When Once my sous vide steaks are done in the water bath to 129 degrees F, I put them in the fridge for about half an hour, then transfer them to 400 plus degree F grill. About 2 minute per side. They crisp up nicely. I will be interested to try out the glaze in my scenario!
I do very low carb and this glaze fits well. Pomegranate molasses has 74.4 g carbs per 100 ml and the whole batch is only 15 ml. Soy sauce likewise low for 15 ml. Omit zaatar. No worries.
Helen - Must you use sous vide, or marinate your meat in this sauce for some period of time, for this to work? Or can you just take a piece of meat, and either dip it in this sauce, or just brush this sauce on, say, a hamburger patty, and then grill/fry it? And will it work with just about any type of meat?
This is Helen's grilling glaze, is now applying it to sous vide (with wonderful results!). Cook your meats however you wish, then glaze & sear quickly for the final 30 seconds to a minute or so. If put on before the start of cooking it will burn before the meat is cooked.
You can make pomegranate molasses . Ingredients 4 cups pomegranate juice 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice, about one large lemon Instructions Boil the pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the juice boils, reduce the heat to a medium-low. You should see the liquid boiling very gently in the middle. Let the mixture simmer for about an hour, uncovered. Stir occasionally to make sure that the sugars don't stick to the bottom of the saucepan. After 45 minutes of simmering, you'll notice that a lot of liquid has burned off. Reduce the heat very slightly and let it simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Take a spoon and dip it into the molasses. If it coats the spoon, the molasses is done cooking (see photo in blog post for a visual). Turn off the heat and let it cool for 30 minutes before pouring it into a jar. The mixture will still be runny, but don't worry. The molasses thickens as it cools. This recipe should yield about 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses. Store the molasses in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
So you add the glaze to the sous vide bag and cook, then when it is done let it rest for 10 minutes to stop oozing and pat dry. Then brown in oil or more glaze?
@@helenrennie It doesn't seem like it would get the benefit of the glaze if you are patting it dry after cooking. It must infuse into the meat while under the vacuum. Am I missing something?
What you are referring to is hyssop, sometimes referred to as za'atar spice but it is actually a wild cousin of thyme only recently ( 50 yrs) cultivated. Za'atar seasoning almost Aways includes hyssop, sumac, sesame and salt.
Thanks for the video. I have pretty much saved my life by adopting a keto diet. Is there a variation on your marinade and process that will give most of the positive results without the sugar?
the amount of sugar is minuscule. that batch of glaze that I made in the video would probably be enough for 15 chicken breasts and most of it would stay in the bag anyway. i don't have any alternatives, but if you play with it, maybe you'll come up with something.
I used on lamb rack and it browns very well however, it feels like it took some of the lamb flavor away. I read that you should use oil in sous vide because it leeches flavor from the meat. Any other alternative I can use for the oil? Can I just water to dilute a little?
oil doesn't leech flavor from the meat. water does. that's how you make stock ;) this glaze is not leeching anything away from your meat, it just has its own flavor which covers up some of the lamb flavor.
#realcomment Will give this a try Helen for my next sous-vide chicken! Looking forward to it having used your glaze successfully before with BBQ chicken!
Came here to mention that the acidity of the pomegranate molasses might slow the browning somewhat, but I think the additional flavor more than makes up for it.
Isn't there this thing with making the surface more alkaline in order to speed up the Maillard reaction? So, perhaps using baking soda in the bag might help as well ...
First, everybody forget everything ever about what you have learned about smell and taste because it's 100% wrong, even if you are a scientist! My GF and some other in her family do not have any sense of smell, not the slightest hint of smell! My GF can't tell you if she is standing in the middle of a bakery or in a pile of manure, she has no idea if you have brewed coffee or de-calking with vinegar. BUT she has an amazing sense of taste, she is a bit of an expert when it's about food, no chance of tricking her with any apple, seasoning or anything she should not be able to taste! She has even better ability to distinguish well-made food from amateur than anyone else I know. So no, a person can taste things that everybody "knows" we can't taste. So when you make food, please do as if everything can be tasted! :-)
I'm glad I did a word search for smell before commenting. I also have never had a sense of smell and my experience with smelling and tasting is exactly as you describe the experience of your girlfriend (maybe wife by now).
@@thisisaguy Thank you so much for replying. It is very interesting. Some may say that we are in error because nearly every scientist is saying the same: "you can not taste, without the ability to smell". To that can I only say that every expert did for some years ago, talk about we had zones on the tongue, sweet, sour and so on, this turned out to be false. We did also only have 5 senses, now does it turn out that we have a lot more. :-)
I've grown very tired of Sous Vide Everything. They do some really dumb stuff considering Guga is an "expert." He also really just seems like a shill for the companies.
@@davidmatke248 Guga is no expert - I think he himself is very clear on that. He is not a trained chef or anything like that. He is just an everyday joe trying out new things
@@MrHaddifax Gotten very annoying without Ninja to balance his personality. Was much better when the three of them ate in their office lunchroom. Ninja's channel missing something too.
Helen, not sure if this was asked in the comments below but it looks like you used a skinless breast for this. Have you tried it with a skin-on breast?
Yes, I have. It works. I still can't produce the kind of skin with sous-vide that I can with roasted chicken. The glaze helps with flavor, but the texture of the skin is still not fabulous. I get better sous-vide chicken skin if I chill the chicken completely and then sear from cold on medium heat, covered. That gets very good thin and crispy skin, but then the meat is slightly firmer and slightly less juicy. Trade offs, trade offs... Also, this glaze tends to burn a bit if you give it 5-7 minutes in the skillet that the skin needs to turn crispy. So you might want to put it mostly on the flesh side and not on the skin side.
Thank you Helen for being there for me! I started sous vide using another channel on TH-cam and soon realised they were missing out some crucial steps; I could not emulate their results. Having found your channel I have now a talented lady to follow; every one of your posts is fantastic. I've learned a good deal of knowledge. Thank you.
Speaking from experience, surface area is a huge factor in imparting flavors doing sous vide. As you say, a garlic clove for example won't do anything, even if you crush it. Even mincing won't help much. However, if you puree the garlic, or even better use garlic powder, you can impart an intensely garlic flavor to the food. A trick I like to use when doing steaks is to add a pretty heavy amount of garlic chili paste to the bag, usually the huey fong brand (the same folks who make sriracha). It doesn't make the steak spicy, and you should clean it all off before searing, but it does give a strong and distinct flavor to the meat.
#realcomment. Small lid. Pressing on the meat. What a great idea! Tried it last night. Low splatter, no retained moisture. Fast (FAST) browning. Thank you.
I use a cast iron bacon press. Just the right amount of weight.
Tried using a bit of mayonnaise? This also provides an excellent crust and browning.
I thought I had all the nuances of sous vide down. You just made my day with this video! I stumbled onto your channel via your fresh pasta troubleshooting video. I subscribed, and I’m very excited to burn through your back catalogue! How do you not have at least 500k subs? You’re working on the same level as chefsteps and SE. Methods before recipes! I love it. Thanks so much!
I was surprised by this video. I've been doing this for sous vide meats (mostly chicken) for quite a while. I also like to use sweet and sour sauce. My mustard sauce:
3 Tbsp Dry Mustard
2 Tbsp hot water
1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds (preferably toasted)
1/4 tsp Sesame Oil
3/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 clove Garlic, crushed
Adding 3 Tbsp heavy cream makes this a wonderful dipping sauce. I omit the cream for sous vide.
I feel a little bit bad for not sharing this sooner.
Great minds think alike :)
@@helenrennie I did want to add one thing; I have a bottle of my mustard sauce, without any cream, in my refrigerator door. I don't think I've ever used a whole recipe all at once. The bottle I'm currently using has been in the fridge for around a year now.
I'm not going to recommend anyone else do this, but it works for me. But DO NOT do this with added cream.
I think the soy sauce also contributes a lot. As a Chinese I grew up with dishes that use soy sauce, every time you add em in a hot pan the water’ll evaporate instantly, leaving behind a thick fond that coats the bottom of the pan
Thanks very much Helen, another enjoyable and educational video. I always learn something new when I watch you.
the emulsion is what makes it get the better color.. that is why people like to use the Mayo sear for more of a crust on steaks... Great video Helen!
yes, mayo does help with browning. I know people think of it as some home cooking hack, but if it works, why not?
All your sous-vide advice mirrors what I've learnt from personal experience and fills in all the gaps other places like Serious Eats have left out. Excellent content!
Maillard reaction occurs with amino acids AND reducing sugar (practically anything but sucrose or regular sugar). When you add regular sugar to your marinate, it burns easily because most of it only caramelise but doesn't undergo Maillard reaction.
only 50% correct. table sugar breaks down into d-glucose and d-fructose after hydrolysis, which is exactly what happens when you heat it in the presence of water in acidic conditions. both of those are reducing sugars and will participate in Maillard reaction. if you're making a sweet marinade, just make sure it's got some acidity. it will brown like nobody's business and the food will benefit from both Maillard & caramelization reactions.
@@suivzmoi That's true, I did think of that but didn't think the extent of reaction will be that big.
Helen, I’ve been cooking sous vide for some time now…we use the same machine btw. This presentation was very informative. I really love and appreciate your videos. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
As always I greatly enjoyed this video and look forward to using it soon. Thanks for taking the time to produce them.
Thank you so much. I wish I had you to explain chemistry in school 20 + years ago. I totally got it!
Most excellent information Helen, now I need to get the pomegranate molasses..thank you..
Hi Helen, great tips! I suggest also playing around with asafetida powder used in a lot of indian cooking; gives a great char-broiled type umami flavor; a little goes a long way!
I bought all Ingrid nets and in sous vide now. You got me so exited lol to try this.. Thank you!
oh wow i recently bought both pomegranate molasses and zaatar blend.. what a coincidence i found this video! will be trying the same thing here shortly :)
Some of these comments remind me of what my parents taught me: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything. Good advice
Question for you, Helen. If you cook something like pork chops using this glaze, and then you want to sear the pork chops on a grill, would you also use this glaze during the searing process on the grill?
absolutely :)
I am absolutely mesmerized by how this lady talks. I don’t mean the accent, I mean the mannerisms. Okay, maybe the accent a little.
@Adam Churvis Wow, Adam, I love your explanation. Helen, I had given up using sous vide years ago, I am now inspired to taking my Supreme out of mothball and give it another go.
Thank you Helen
Thanks Helen, I can't wait to try this.
I don't do sous vide but I've used the combination of finely ground turkish coffee and brown sugar as a base rub on pork for years, I'd really appreciate it if you could give me your thoughts on the combination. It also works well on both beef and chicken, but it makes the biggest difference on pork chops.
that sounds wonderful. coffee gives you bitterness and acidity. together with sugar that's a winning combination :)
Hello The Nernbutt :) Please share your brown sugar/turkish coffee recipe. Sounds very "steakish" and wonderful
I think Serious Eats conducted some experiments with Peanut Butter and the results were less than satisfying among various tasters... I'm wondering about miso paste- you gte the umami and the saltiness without the sweatness of the peanut butter?
Hi Helen, do you have any concern cooking raw garlic sous vide ? I've read that there is a concern for botulism when cooking raw garlic so I've moved to powdered garlic instead and find that the flavor is even better.
Great question. I don't think it's an issue for a couple of reasons. The acidity and salt in this glaze inhibits bacterial growth. Here is a cook's illustrated article about the acidity part of it: www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/6446-garlic-safety I am also not cooking it for a long period of time. Most of botulism concerns with sous-vide cooking are for things that are done for days. If you cook for 1-2 hours and chill right away, it shouldn't be a problem as far as I am aware. That being said, it's totally fine to skip garlic or replace it with powdered garlic if that makes you more uncomfortable.
Thank you! My son wants to learn to do sous vide
Makes sense my teriyaki glazed steaks came out way better than my bbq marinade looks like I’ll have to make some adjustments.
I watched it again and I'm exhausted!
Question, not related to browning, but to Sous-Vide. I have made mozzarella cheese at home, the milk also needs to reach and maintain a constant temperature. Do you think this could be done with this method?
absolutely! I proof dough with sous-vide :) I know many people use it for yogurt and cheese.
Thanks for the tips, Helen! Looking forward to trying it out. Please keep these videos coming and if you ever get a chance, check out some of the sous vide videos we are creating. Would love some feedback.
I love za'atar especially when made with real hyssop - not common oregano and thyme - because I like that light tongue-numbing sensation. And of course the sumac is good for astringency. But the sesame seeds-must confess that they don't always work for looks and texture. So I've tended to like to make my own za'atar mix so that I can toast the sesame seeds a touch more-so a better flavor than most mixes I've found at local stores- and then I mortar/pestle before using if I don't want to see the sesame seeds on the final meat presentation.
#realcomment I use a dry rub prior to bagging. Plenty of salt and sugar along with aromatics and heat. Things brown nicely. Will try your glaze, but have had better luck with dry vs liquid.
dry rub with a bit of sugar is a great idea.
@@helenrennie: Thank you. Will look for you to create your own sometime soon. I put it on before, vacuum sealing. As it thaws in the bag, the rub penetrates.
Hello pscheidt. Please share your rub recipe, it sounds easier than liquid marinade. I like using garlic butter at the sear, so together they should be great!
Really love the knowledge you deliver 👍 subbed
Awesome video! Looking forward to try this!
Better to use garlic powder than fresh garlic with sous vide.
2:32 great tip!
Thanks - I'll try it! :)
Please let us know how it turns out:-)
The torch works for me. I do chill it first. That, and liquid smoke before applying dry rub.
It's no secret that sugar turns into a crust. Sugar is what I guessed. For me, that's a keto no-no.
Thank you Helen, absolutely my answer for browning my meats. Now where to purchase here in the UK ?? Well done.
Is there any benefit of marinading with butter milk or yogurt first? Thank you for the wonderful videos
That’s really good advice! I was actually considering making sous vide Chinese pork belly, with the same ingredients I’d normally use in a slow cooker. The pork fat might make them act as a glaze right?
Anyway I now feel confident I should give it a try!
I am totally sold on sous vide beef. But I don't get sous-vide chicken, seems like it always comes out with a weird texture. There's something about rotisserie chicken fat that can't be duplicated. That said, Great video looking forward to experimenting.
I agree. the skin tastes way better when you give it an hour to render :)
Sous Vide the chicken, then dredge and deep fry. Turns out perfect. I typically use boneless, skinless dark meat.
Wonderful experience thanks
Thank you...love these mini lessons 💓💞💓
Helen, can you use balsamic vinegar (or reduction) instead of the pomegranate molasses?
Thanks for this amazing technique!
Thank you for replying so quick, l will give it a go and let you know how it works 👍😘
I just discovered your channel and boy oh boy am I glad I did!!!
I have been cooking sous-vide for several years and had no idea about several of the improvements you discuss. Thank You!!!
I wonder if you have any specific recipes or ideas for sous-vide venison (a staple in my kitchen)?
Helen, I'm a hopeless cook but I've just started sous vide in an attempt at self-improvement. I came across your channel today. Very good and inspiring!
Pomegranate molasses are/is not available locally but I came across the recipe below. Do you think it would be worth trying?
If pomegranate molasses is proving hard to find, buy a carton of pomegranate juice; you need four cups in a saucepan with half a cup of sugar and a tablespoon or two of lemon juice. Reduce over a low heat for an hour or until the liquid is thick, dark and syrupy
I've tried making my own and it kind of sucked ;) Keep in mine that the pomegranate juice in a carton is not nearly as good as pomogranate juice in Lebanon. Just curious, where do you live? Is amazon an option? Here is the one I use: amzn.to/344Kloc It will probably cost you less to buy it on amazon than to make it yourself. You need a lot of pomegranate juice to end up with a thick syrup. That being said, if you want to make it yourself, I think it will still work in the glaze to produce better browning even though it won't taste quite as good by itself.
Helen-Your energy and intellect are insane! My mind boggles-what do you do for fun?
How well will this glaze work as an (unintentional) marinade? If I vacuum bag my proteins with this glaze on the weekend and don't get around to sous vide cooking until later in the week, does it positively or negatively affect the meat? Or does that depend on the type of meat? What if I sous vide cook on the weekend and leave it chilled still in the bag until later in the week to brown later?
I don't see that as being a problem. I sometimes use it as intentional marinade for chicken and pork :)
My favorite is coating the chicken in oat flour before frying!
This is a game changer!
I ordered the Za'tar and the pomegranate molasses from your link. This marinade was *delicious*!
Looks great. Quick questions: 1. I'd like to try this with turkey breasts (most likely two breasts tied into a roll with string). How much marinade should I use?
2. I don't get a good vacuum seal when I use liquids. Does this marinade freeze well? (Adding an ice cube of marinade doesn't interfere with the vacuum seal.)
Thanks!!!
Just go by eye. Use enough to coat the whole turkey breast. It's kind of important for the glaze to cover the whole surface. If you freeze it into an ice-cube it might not spread over the meat evenly, but it's worth a shot. There is nothing in this marinade that can't be frozen. I don't use vacuum seal bags. I just use zip locks. Another idea is to let the turkey sit in the marinade overnight. Then dry and seal it.
Helen shows how to do it at 2:04 in this video: th-cam.com/video/2NmmzYK92oU/w-d-xo.html
(My marinade does not separate) The marinade for browning did a terrific job of browning chicken given that most of it was wiped off before the searing stage. My marinade did not separate even after a week of sitting in the refrigerator. That and subsequent batches have some sort of separation anxiety and they are not even pourable - I have to spoon out the marinade. I followed the ingredient amounts exactly (except for garlic and herbs) but I did not whisk the ingredients together. Instead, I gave the ingredients a vigorous shake in a small jar or an OXO salad dressing shaker. I first added the Dijon mustard, pomegranate molasses and soy to the shaker and stirred them together with a chop stick. I added half the amount of oil (quarter cup of sunflower oil), capped the container and shook it for about a minute. I then added the remaining oil (another quarter cup) and gave it another hearty shake. In some batches I used a very dark soy sauce (Pearl River Bridge) and in other batches I used Kikkoman light soy sauce. The only difference was that the marinade made with the light soy was the color of peanut butter while the marinade made with the dark soy was as dark as the soy. But as the marinade is removed before searing, this doesn’t seem to be too important.
It seems like you should be able to sear your protein on a very hot grill since the juices simply fall through the grating.
fantastic video! only problem, i have to buy everything except soy sauce, lol
Hi Helen! Would you say marinating the chicken before would produce much better results? Also, would it be also good using normal molasses? Thank you and I love your channel!
In case of sous-vide, marinading in advance doesn't seem to make a difference. The marinade will penetrate the outer millimeter during the water bath. I haven't use regular molasses. It might work fine. I think it's worth trying.
Helen Rennie thank you for the quick reply Helen! Stay safe :)
Hi Helen, I've made your grilling sauce and I love it. However ... when I put it into the fridge, the oil solidifies (as good oils do). I use avocado oil as my all-purpose oil for health and flavor (none!) reasons, but should I be using something different in this sauce? Or do I just have to remember to take it out early so it warms to room temperature before I use it? Thanks!
It doesn't need to warm all the way to room temp. After 10 min at room temp, you'll be able to shake it and get it all integrated. If not (maybe avocado solidifies more than the oil I use), swoosh the bottle under warm water from the tap for 20-30 seconds and oil should liquify. I actually prefer it from the fridge. it's thicker :)
Thanks!
congrats on 100k
#realcomment Do we still need to do real comments? Either way; I usually go like 3-4 cloves of garlic, a ton of pepper, salt, a sprig of rosemary and a bunch of thyme and I precook that all in a pan with butter. I have found that raw garlic sous vide doesn't ever really change flavor and it keeps it's oniony bite. I've also found sous vide really dilutes the flavor of whatever you put in the bag with the meat (except rosemary) so I go very heavy on sauces or herbs. One time I made sous vide pork belly with this bright and delicious beer based sauce that was very strong in flavor. When it was done though it tasted like a porkchop, I'm going to try it again some day but with like 3x the sauce. Of course, none of this addresses the browning issues, but I am a little apprehensive about adding sugar to a steak.
#realcomment is only for things you really need to to reply to, though I try to reply to everyone who has a real question unless I get completely swamped.
Do you still brown after the water bath?
@@pacificH2O I do, yes. Usually on a scorching hot pan with a decent high temperature oil.
This is really fascinating and I want to try it out! Thank you!
Cooking temperature 141F (60.5C) for 1 hour 4:46
Great video Helen. I wonder if regular molasses would work the same.
you would need a very different amount of regular molasses. these two products have nothing in common besides their english name :)
But can you think of anything as an substitute? I think I'm gonna experiment some more..having a balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, honey, garlic idea. So glad I stumbled across your channel...while looking for some sauces ideas. Keep up the good work!
@@Jerix000 All sounds great! Did you find a favorite to work with?
Thanks for the videos Helen! I wait patiently for each new release. Keep them coming. The glazed chicken breasts browned very well in the skillet. Did you test it on the grill?
the glaze helps on the grill too, but you need insanely hot grill to produce browning quickly enough not to ruin the even doneness sous-vide gives you.
@@helenrennie Thank you. I will try it. When Once my sous vide steaks are done in the water bath to 129 degrees F, I put them in the fridge for about half an hour, then transfer them to 400 plus degree F grill. About 2 minute per side. They crisp up nicely. I will be interested to try out the glaze in my scenario!
@@reagannelson5264 Do you mean chicken or actual steak Reagan? Thank you!!
@@pacificH2O I meant steaks. I haven't tried the glaze on either chicken or steak yet.
Pomegranate molasses alternative?
Can anyone offer any alternative recipes that achieve similar results for those of us restricting carbs to
I do very low carb and this glaze fits well. Pomegranate molasses has 74.4 g carbs per 100 ml and the whole batch is only 15 ml. Soy sauce likewise low for 15 ml. Omit zaatar. No worries.
Helen - Must you use sous vide, or marinate your meat in this sauce for some period of time, for this to work? Or can you just take a piece of meat, and either dip it in this sauce, or just brush this sauce on, say, a hamburger patty, and then grill/fry it? And will it work with just about any type of meat?
This is Helen's grilling glaze, is now applying it to sous vide (with wonderful results!). Cook your meats however you wish, then glaze & sear quickly for the final 30 seconds to a minute or so. If put on before the start of cooking it will burn before the meat is cooked.
Can’t wait to try that! My diet of only chicken breasts and salad might just stand a chance this week haha
Hello. I'm new to cooking. Can I substitute plain molasses for the pomegranate ? My local store did not have any.
You can make pomegranate molasses .
Ingredients
4 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice, about one large lemon
Instructions
Boil the pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the juice boils, reduce the heat to a medium-low. You should see the liquid boiling very gently in the middle.
Let the mixture simmer for about an hour, uncovered. Stir occasionally to make sure that the sugars don't stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
After 45 minutes of simmering, you'll notice that a lot of liquid has burned off. Reduce the heat very slightly and let it simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Take a spoon and dip it into the molasses. If it coats the spoon, the molasses is done cooking (see photo in blog post for a visual).
Turn off the heat and let it cool for 30 minutes before pouring it into a jar. The mixture will still be runny, but don't worry. The molasses thickens as it cools.
This recipe should yield about 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses. Store the molasses in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
So you add the glaze to the sous vide bag and cook, then when it is done let it rest for 10 minutes to stop oozing and pat dry. Then brown in oil or more glaze?
I brown in oil, not in more glaze.
@@helenrennie It doesn't seem like it would get the benefit of the glaze if you are patting it dry after cooking. It must infuse into the meat while under the vacuum. Am I missing something?
Great video.
Zaatar is its own plant, it is not a mix of other stuff, if you have real zaatar that is.
What you are referring to is hyssop, sometimes referred to as za'atar spice but it is actually a wild cousin of thyme only recently ( 50 yrs) cultivated. Za'atar seasoning almost Aways includes hyssop, sumac, sesame and salt.
Could you list your browning sauce somewhere. I keep watching the video every time I make it
Here it is: th-cam.com/video/pjxoKWI5zPI/w-d-xo.html
@@helenrennie Thanks it is a game changer for Sous Vide. Combined with the meat juices it makes great gravy as well.
What if you season the chicken breast without Sous Vide and just brown and put in the oven or vice versa?
you can do that, but achieving perfect doneness will be a lot harder
Time for the Souvide Everything guys to try it out!
@Astro Mars agree they steal mostly from chef steps
Will this work with steaks?
Freeze before you broil it? Did anybody ever try it?
Thanks for the video. I have pretty much saved my life by adopting a keto diet. Is there a variation on your marinade and process that will give most of the positive results without the sugar?
the amount of sugar is minuscule. that batch of glaze that I made in the video would probably be enough for 15 chicken breasts and most of it would stay in the bag anyway. i don't have any alternatives, but if you play with it, maybe you'll come up with something.
Based on the 1 tablespoons each of pomegranate molasses and soy sauce, there’d be less than 1 gram of sugar per Helen’s 15 chicken breasts.
Dorothy Young - thanks for doing the math. I suspect maybe only half of the glaze even stays with the protein so that would totally work for me.
@@billconley2599 Look closely at the oils. Maybe use an avocado or olive oil.
William Dobbs good idea
I used on lamb rack and it browns very well however, it feels like it took some of the lamb flavor away. I read that you should use oil in sous vide because it leeches flavor from the meat. Any other alternative I can use for the oil? Can I just water to dilute a little?
oil doesn't leech flavor from the meat. water does. that's how you make stock ;) this glaze is not leeching anything away from your meat, it just has its own flavor which covers up some of the lamb flavor.
#realcomment Will give this a try Helen for my next sous-vide chicken! Looking forward to it having used your glaze successfully before with BBQ chicken!
Can we sear it before putting it in a bag?
Absolutely, sear it for about 30 seconds on each side before the sous vide. Sear it again after drying and resting.
Would searing the chicken before SV make a difference in flavor?
In my opinion (and it's not uncommon among other chefs), searing before the water bath is pointless if you are going to sear after sear.
Not cheating - cooking!
Have you experimented with baking soda? Higher pH lowers the activation temperature of the Maillard reaction.
Came here to mention that the acidity of the pomegranate molasses might slow the browning somewhat, but I think the additional flavor more than makes up for it.
What are your recommendation about Sous Vide Beef Steaks? Same as chicken?
yes, it works on anything
Any way to get gravy when cooking meat Sous vide?
Any ideas of a substitution for pomegranate molasses? Not available in my country...
just skip it. or add a bit of honey and increase the mustard a little
@@helenrennie - thanks a lot!
Isn't there this thing with making the surface more alkaline in order to speed up the Maillard reaction? So, perhaps using baking soda in the bag might help as well ...
it might, but baking soda tastes bad, but the stuff I am using tastes good :)
@@helenrennie I have no doubt about it :)
I watch your videos just to hear your voice.
XO Sauce
2:43 Glaze
soy sauce give u that grilled flavor when caramelized.
First, everybody forget everything ever about what you have learned about smell and taste because it's 100% wrong, even if you are a scientist! My GF and some other in her family do not have any sense of smell, not the slightest hint of smell! My GF can't tell you if she is standing in the middle of a bakery or in a pile of manure, she has no idea if you have brewed coffee or de-calking with vinegar.
BUT she has an amazing sense of taste, she is a bit of an expert when it's about food, no chance of tricking her with any apple, seasoning or anything she should not be able to taste! She has even better ability to distinguish well-made food from amateur than anyone else I know. So no, a person can taste things that everybody "knows" we can't taste. So when you make food, please do as if everything can be tasted! :-)
I'm glad I did a word search for smell before commenting. I also have never had a sense of smell and my experience with smelling and tasting is exactly as you describe the experience of your girlfriend (maybe wife by now).
@@thisisaguy Thank you so much for replying. It is very interesting. Some may say that we are in error because nearly every scientist is saying the same: "you can not taste, without the ability to smell". To that can I only say that every expert did for some years ago, talk about we had zones on the tongue, sweet, sour and so on, this turned out to be false. We did also only have 5 senses, now does it turn out that we have a lot more. :-)
I am confused that you are claiming acid aids Browning...it has lo g been held that raising the On enhancers browning.
Acid just tastes good. It doesn't help browning. It's a result of browning. Maillard reaction creates acidity.
@@helenrennie Here is a very informative video th-cam.com/video/c7WI41huAok/w-d-xo.html
@@helenrennie Here is the topic of Ph being addressed. th-cam.com/video/SLAz3oiMi8Q/w-d-xo.html
The best thing to put into the sous vide bag is nothing. Pans and ovens exist and chicken breast doesn’t need an hour in a bath.
Is this method Guga proved? 🤔🤣
Was just thinking about him.
Helen was doing Sous Vide before Guga bought his 1st circulator.. 😎😎
I've grown very tired of Sous Vide Everything. They do some really dumb stuff considering Guga is an "expert." He also really just seems like a shill for the companies.
@@davidmatke248 Guga is no expert - I think he himself is very clear on that. He is not a trained chef or anything like that. He is just an everyday joe trying out new things
@@MrHaddifax Gotten very annoying without Ninja to balance his personality. Was much better when the three of them ate in their office lunchroom. Ninja's channel missing something too.
Hi Helen, could l substitute the pomegranate molasses for natural date syrup :))
I've never tried date syrup, but it's worth a shot.
Helen, not sure if this was asked in the comments below but it looks like you used a skinless breast for this. Have you tried it with a skin-on breast?
Yes, I have. It works. I still can't produce the kind of skin with sous-vide that I can with roasted chicken. The glaze helps with flavor, but the texture of the skin is still not fabulous. I get better sous-vide chicken skin if I chill the chicken completely and then sear from cold on medium heat, covered. That gets very good thin and crispy skin, but then the meat is slightly firmer and slightly less juicy. Trade offs, trade offs... Also, this glaze tends to burn a bit if you give it 5-7 minutes in the skillet that the skin needs to turn crispy. So you might want to put it mostly on the flesh side and not on the skin side.
"Soy sauce gives us sugar" Huh? Since when? No -ose ingredients in soy sauce. Ever. 🤔